Shattered
by Masterfanfic2013
Summary: Kara is broken after the loss of close comrades and slowly begins to break apart. Can her friends and sister help Kara out herself back together? Modern AU - No Superpowers. *Common grammatical errors fixed!*
1. The Day She Left

**This is something a tad different. Yeah, I said I'd do a standard Supergirl fic, but I decided to do a AU. I hope you like it. If you read between the lines, there's a reason why this story is called** ** _Shattered_** **and it becomes even clearer in later chs, not that I'm turning this into English Class now. Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Also, I changed Kara's surname, it wouldn't make sense to have a Kryptonian surname in a Modern AU, please don't be disappointed about that!**

 **Second, I have done a little research regarding to people with high IQ, Terence Tao is a real person (not sure if he's alive or dead) but he really scored an IQ between 225-230. I could've gone 290-300 for Kara, but that's taking things too far. So Kara's IQ is between 225-230.**

 **Update: Kara is in the US Army, not Marine Corps. I also readjusted Lucy's position to suit this AU.**

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Chapter 1: The Day She Left

 _Month Zero…_

( _Scene: Danvers' Household, Midvale_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

I sat on the couch, flicking through the channels, bored. I have a two week break from work, which is in National City, so I decided to fly back home. I work as a scientist, I'm a bio-engineer to be exact, my mother Eliza is also a scientist. Yeah, I chose the same or similar career path. My father, Jeremiah on the other hand, is dead. He died when I was young. He was a soldier a Captain in the Army. God! How could I forget to mention my baby sister!? Kara Danvers she is now and she's an orphan. It was a good few years back, I was still a teenager, when mom, and dad sat me down and explained they were planning on adopting. I was a bit put off at first, well knowing I will be knocked down the pecking order, but I accepted.

I thought my parents were adopting another child, who would be like years younger than me. No. They adopted a twelve year old girl. Before my sister was taken in, her real name was Kara Corbett. Thinking about it now, I've never met a teenager my age, with such a tragic backstory, one that no kid in the world would have to go through. I hope. Yes, I was jealous, then, I learned to let that go. As the older sister, it was my duty to keep her safe, feel protected. When Kara came, she was so quiet, closed off, it's like she… shut down on the world. Kara lost her parents in a devastating house fire. No one knows what caused it, it baffled firefighters and forensic scientists alike. The remains of her house is still being examined. By the papers, via CatCo Worldwide Media; in National City and The Daily Planet; in Metropolis, it was called _The Phantom Fire_.

Clearly the fire must have came from a source, may it be an electrical, candle etc. The fire must've started somewhere. Anyway, I remember Kara telling me, the last thing her parents told her, they love her and they'll be with her in her dreams. They are watching over her. Kara was pushed out the window, into the waiting arms of a firefighter, before they both fell off the ladder when the room her parents were in, just… flashover and her house collapsed. Once Kara became a member of our family, she cried every night, nightmares and begging her parents not to leave her. She was so fragile, I vowed not to let anyone break her.

When it came to school, Kara was a bright and… I'm ashamed to say, a very intelligent student. From what I can gather, her father is a Mathematician, a professor in Physics, Astrophysics and Quantum Physics! Though most of it is primarily theory. Her mother, like me, is a Bio-engineer and also, a part-time professor in Biochemistry! Though her dad was a full-time professor. So clearly, she had no problem with science and math subjects. English was her second strongest, followed by history and geography, but oh boy! Languages were a nightmare! French and German did not go very well. There was one time she was so frustrated with a simple sentence, she got up and stormed out of the class!

OK, so she inherited one (or both) of her parent's temper, probably it's just all the emotions she bottled up for so long. After that scenario, Kara was exempted from Modern Languages and that freed up spaces for her to take up extra-curricular subjects like Applied Maths and surprisingly: Classical Studies. Who knew Baby Danvers had a scholar side of her. She loved reading Ancient Greek and Roman Civilisation and that's when, she's not reading her book on Astrophysics. Kara had the highest IQ Level: 225-230! That puts her on par with Terence Tao! I would love to see them go head to head in a challenge of intellect.

Because of her high IQ, it did leave her vulnerable to bullying. Students picked on her, called her names, the worst of them was Smart Ass. Not in that sense, the other meaning, they thought she was far to clever for this school and she should just leave, go to University. Other than that, Kara was being bullied for some time. Other classmates pushed her to the ground or into the locker, knocked her books out of her hand and wrote mean notes to her. I knew she was being bullied, Kara was just too timid to say anything, so I didn't leave her out of my sight.

That leads to another memory, back in High School, I was sitting on the table with Kara having lunch and also, playing guard dog. No one dared to go near her when I was around. I'm a Brown Belt in MMA. Then, I told Kara I was heading to the bin to toss our food wrappers in there. Three minutes! Three minutes! That's all it took for some brave assholes to jump my baby sister! They pushed her roughly onto the ground, I heard her land with a grunt. Then that's when it happened. The side of Kara I do not ever want to see. Some lad made a comment about her parents, that they sacrificed their lives for her and they were stupid to do so. She should've just died with them.

Something snapped in Kara, she stood up, balling her fists till her knuckles went white and in one quick motion, she spun around, punching the young student in the nose, breaking it. Following that move, all hell broke loose. This resulted the bullies in receiving a Grade One concussion, a broken nose, cracked ribs and a lot of bruises. That got Kara suspended from school for three days and she promised to keep her anger in check. It was also when, I learned Kara is a Grade Two Black Belt in Judo. Damn! Kara must ba a rare prodigy, to earn a belt at that age! And the fact, my sister has developed a Short Fuse after the accident. With that, mom took her to Anger Management lessons, she did go to a few but, they suggested that if she was frustrated, sketch or something like that.

Kara enjoys drawing, she's a woman of many talents and a brilliant artist! Such an eye for detail, she also has photographic memory, which helped her in drawing her house, her room, the street she lived on and her parents. She actually found it relaxing and eased her pain a little. Despite all these talents, here comes the ironic part: she joined the Army, a soldier, just like dad! Eliza was close to a heart attack! Although, she realised Kara was not budging on her decision, her career choice and she accepted. Kara applied and spent months training for her Physical Exam, she couldn't prepare for a Medical but just hoped she passed them. The news came after we graduated from High School, the Army accepted her application, she passed all her exams and got through her interview, alive.

I was happy and worried for her. What if she met the same fate as our dad? What will we do then? If there's one characteristic about Kara, it's her selflessness and kindness. A willingness to help others in need and couldn't defend themselves and not expect anything in return. She became a local hero in Midvale, saving an old, frail woman from being mugged. She wanted to use that willingness to help people on the field. She took part in two Peace-keeping Missions. One in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq, pretty bad war-torn countries.

Every time she Skype called us, she'd give us her bright dorky smile, she told us she was OK, she's enjoying her company with Private 2 Vasquez, for short: PV2 and… her CSM: Command Sergeant Major Hank Henshaw is really kind to her. He told her he worked with our father and he made a promise to keep Kara safe. Henshaw instantly recognised Kara as Jeremiah's daughter and was surprised to see her. He probably expected her to work in the field of science or teach. So, I guessed he's keeping a close eye on her. My sister trusts him, so do I and mom.

This leads me to this day, why I'm reminiscing on past memories. Kara is on a six month tour of duty in Syria. It's pretty bad, the ongoing crusade of the so-called _Islamic State_ or _ISIS_. She's on another Peace-keeping mission. For the time being, there's a temporary truce, but I'm sure how long it will last. The most dreadful attack that happened was in France, Europe. It was the dubbed _The Paris Attacks_ , before that was _Charlie_. So Europe is on alert. I worry for Kara's safety, not a day goes by without thinking about her. Eliza does pray, praying to God to bring her back safely.

Kara always came back in one piece. She was still smiling, still bubbly and dorky. She hung out with me for our weekly movie nights, brought me with to Game Night with her only two friends from High School or three. James Olsen, his girlfriend Lucy Lane and Winslow 'Winn' Schotte Junior, who has a dark family history I rather not go into. Anyways, they make regular calls to me to make sure I'm alright. Lucy also works in the Army, she's a SGM: Sergeant Major, so I can get certain information from her. I obviously don't ask for the confidential, Top Secret stuff, all I want to know is if she's OK, alive and not _KIA_ or _MIA_. God! I remember running up to her in the Airport when she returned from Afghanistan. I hugged her so tight, tight enough that she was slamming my shoulders, telling me I was cutting off her Oxygen supply. Oops, but other than that, I was so happy to see her.

All that was fine, life was normal, somewhat until Kara returns after her tour, but fate had other ideas and it all happened, my life and hers, came crashing down by a single accident and a phone call.

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 **Alright, it's short, but it's a start, will get longer in future chs, I assure you, but be warned, I'm coming up to a major exam, that will decide what course and college I get into, so update schedules will be… unpredictable and sketchy. Please Favourite, Follow and Review and just give it a chance! Peace out!**


	2. The Call

**Now here's Ch 2. In one of the reviews, it was noted I made a huge blunder regarding to America's military. I am deeply sorry for those who have worked or are working in the US Defence Force, that I have made this mistake. Just so you know, in Ireland, our military is different, we don't have that many different branches as America does. I was not aware that the US Army and Marine Corps are separate branches.**

 **In future, I do promise to research about America's Military so this does not happen again.**

 **I take full responsibility for my mistakes. The story isn't very long Ch wise, it will be 6 Chapters long. At the end, I will fix any mistake that I have overlooked while proofreading. Thanks for noting my error!**

 **Once again, I apologise profusely.**

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Chapter 2: The Call

 _Month Three…_

( _Scene: Danvers' Household, Midvale_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

I was given another holiday, this time for three weeks from work. Once again, I got a plane back home, no better place to spend it. I decided to read up on several articles on all fields of science. Eliza was with me, but she was working on her laptop. My finger slid on the screen of my iPad as I read the science articles, some of which I found disappointing or vague or look inaccurate. I stopped to sip my tea, then my mind suddenly slipped back to Kara. It's been three months now, she's half way through her tour. My little sister is still giving us Skype calls, but they're becoming less and less frequent. She's getting busier, meaning less time to talk.

Eliza is really looking forward to Kara coming home. I'm keeping Winn and James up to date thanks to Lucy, but she can only get so much information. I have told her several times, even if her Intel is small, it's something, though there's this nagging feeling in my mind that her father: General Sam Lane is not happy about these updates. What's that asshole's problem!? All I wish to know if Kara is alive and well. I have met her father, I never liked him, something about him didn't sit right with me.

All of a sudden, the phone rang. I jumped, quickly putting down my iPad on the table and rushed to the phone. I picked it up and answered.

"Hello?",

 _"Ms Alexandra Danvers am I correct?"_ Said an unknown voice,

"Yes." I said carefully, "Who am I speaking to?",

 _"Ms Danvers, this Private 2 Vasquez. Private Danvers may have mentioned me to your family."_ Vasquez answered. My heart heaved upon even though Vasquez is addressing Kara's last name.

"Kara! How is she!?" Silence. "PV2 Vasquez are you there?",

 _"Alex, it's… it's not good."_ She stuttered,

"Vasquez." I whispered, hoping mom wouldn't hear, "What happened to Kara?",

 _"I wish I was with her. Kara was with a team dropping off supplies to another base. Their convoy drove over a land mine. Kara is severely injured. Most of her wounds are patched up but… she had to be sent to a hospital. We were able to stop the bleeding but she requires proper medical attention. CSM Henshaw gave her the first plane back with the best medics."_ She explained. My heart rate was slowing. Kara… my innocent baby sister, injured by a pressure-plated land mine! How close was she!? How severe are her wounds? Does she need surgery? Will she need a limb amputated?

 _"The plane she's on will be arriving at the airport shortly. I suggest meet the team at the hospital. Alex, I should warn you, Kara will recover from the physical injuries, it's the psychological pain that will follow. She may not be the same person you said goodbye to at the Airport. Listen, I have to go. Send Kara my regards and that she'll make a full recovery."_ ,

"Thanks Vasquez." And we hung up. My hands were shaking, my heart rate increasing. Kara… my sister hurt. Oh god! Then I heard footsteps, I turned to see Eliza at the doorway. There was concern written on her face.

"Alex, who was that?" She asked me. I gulped, this is not going to down well. At all. I breathed in, gathering my thoughts and choosing the right words.

"It was PV2 Vasquez. Mom… Kara is hurt, it's pretty bad. The plane she's on will be landing shortly. I was told to meet the medics at the hospital." My mother's face was pale, she looked like a ghost, pure shock or the look of being unable to comprehend something.

"Grab my keys. We're heading to the hospital now!" I sprinted to the usual area where mom keeps her car keys. Grabbing them from the drawer, I ran out of the house, tossing the keys to mom and we got into the car. Mom inserted the keys into the ignition and hit the accelerator. Hold on baby sis, I'm coming. We're coming.

 _Three Hours Later…_

( _Scene: Midvale University Hospital, Waiting Room, Midvale_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

As soon as mom parked the car, we asked the receptionist about Kara. The only information we got was by the time we reached here, which was an hour ago thanks to traffic, the medics arrived at the hospital with my sister. She is currently being treated for her wounds and I can thank God, she doesn't need any amputation. Whatever way the blast caught her, she must have been sitting at the back of the convoy truck and when it rolled over the land mine, the shockwave did injure her, but threw her out of the truck, away from the epicentre; where most of the damage is done.

Now, Eliza and I have been sitting here for the past three hours, waiting for news, any changes. I can already deduce that Kara won't be going back to the field for a long while. Not until her injuries are healed and she is tested psychologically. Vasquez's words ran through my head in a constant loop:

 _"She may not be the same person you said goodbye to at the Airport."_ I have read up about Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, for short: PTSD. Caused by a traumatic experience most commonly but there are other ways of developing it. I just hope it won't be severe, Kara is strong! She'll get through this, right? Then the Doctor exited Kara's room. Both mom and I stood up.

"How is she?" Eliza asked him,

"We have cleaned, bandaged and with some, stitched the wounds Private Danvers has received. We have her on a drip to to provide fluids and numb the pain, whenever she wakes up. She's unconscious, but… you may see her if you wish." He explained. I nodded.

"Thank you Doctor." He smiled back and left walking off. Eliza and I stepped into the room. I closed the door gently and turned. My heart just grew heavy, Kara was lying there, on the bed, unconscious. An IV was attached to her arm for fluids, along with a machine to monitor her heart rate and pulse. Apart from the machines, my little sister's body was covered with bandages.

Her torso, head and arm are wrapped up, some wounds that weren't bandaged, we're throughly cleaned and stitched. I know, judging by them, some of the wounds will scar. They can't be that bad, my sister will just see them as battle scars. She can show the world, she is a survivor, a warrior. I watched as mother sat down and clutched Kara's limp hand. I heard her mutter:

"Oh my baby girl!" I placed a hand on mom's shoulder,

"She'll get through this mom. Kara's strong." A memory flooded back into my head, the first time Kara let me comfort her. It was during school, Chemistry class and she had one of her worst panic attack/post-trauma trigger.

( **Flashback** / _Scene: Midvale High School, Midvale_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

 **I was making my way to Chemistry class with Kara at my tail. She's in the same year as me, despite our two year age gap. Main reason: Kara is like super smart, the principal put her in with the First Year peers and after three days, one of my sister's teachers approached the principal, telling him and Kara still remembers her words because well… it stuck.**

 _ **"Mr Raymond, I would like to advance Kara by two years! Her intellectual ability is greater than any student I've seen! She's making First Year look like Sixth Grade! Kara is unlike any student I taught! Let her skip two years and put her in some Advanced Classes! I'm telling you, she's going to be bored."**_

 **And boy was she right, the Science and Math subjects were a breeze to Kara, they came to her so naturally. History and Geography were no bother and! And! She knows modules at University Level! Languages though, are a struggle for her. Extra classes and grinds didn't work, whatever way Kara's brain was ' _wired_ ', she worked better with subjects that require theory and out-of-the-box thinking. So, it was kind of Mr Raymond to offer Kara and myself some Advanced Classes. We both had science, Kara had Maths as well.**

 **Raymond managed to get a few contacts, called in some University Professors, all with PhDs to come in and give us lessons. And this is when Kara put them to shame! They were gobsmacked at my foster sister's intellectual ability and memory! Kara is naturally smart and to top it all off, like me, she has photographic memory! They even began showing Kara some of their research and thesis they were writing up. Man! The world can only give Kara so much information before she thirsts for more.**

 **We finally reached the Chemistry Laboratory. Kara and I entered Mrs Keating class. We took our seats, Kara sitting beside me as usual. Kara and I sit right near the teacher, my sister has a thing for needing to be near the teacher. Main reason: it keeps those who pick on her, a distance from her. Mrs Keating has a sharp eye, our Chemistry class is small, so she misses nothing.**

 **Our teacher is aware that my sister still gets bullied from time to time and some of those assholes are in our class! So, she keeps them in check, if they attempt anything, the sharp glare usually does the trick. And that's just a warning. Mrs Keating is capable of worse, which I can thank God, have not seen and I'm not planning on seeing her pissed off, angry side.**

 **"OK students, settle down now! We are going to carry out an experiment on the level of reactivity of the Alkaline Metals.",**

 **"Can we react Potassium with water?" One of the students asked eagerly. Of course, who doesn't enjoy watching reactive metals set alight and explode? Everyone has this stereotypical view of Chemistry.**

 **"No, we cannot Blake." Mrs Keating deadpanned, "Anyone care to explain?",**

 **"Potassium is the third most reactive metal after Sodium in the Alkaline Metals. So, it's more or less safety precaution." Kara explained.**

 **"Smartass Danvers." I heard one of the students mutter behind me. Thankfully, Kara didn't pick up on it, otherwise, she'd stay quiet for the rest of the class. I don't understand why people are trying to break down her self-confidence after my parents and I tried so long, to rebuild that. Selfish eejits, the whole lot them.**

 **"As Kara explained, the Alkaline Metals can be quite dangerous, so Sodium is safe enough." Mrs Keating left for a moment to get a decent sized glass basin and the Sodium in the Store Room that is always locked.**

 **"Hey, Kara!" Kara turned upon hearing her name. It was Jessica, the girl who usually sits behind us and the one person in class, who doesn't pick on my sister. She's very good in Chemistry but does have her limits. To be fair though, she only asks for Kara's help if she's in dire need.**

 **"What's up Jess?" Kara asked,**

 **"I'm just having difficulty in understanding Chemical Bonding and the differences in strength of Van-der-Waals Forces, Dipole-Dipole and Hydrogen Bonding. Also, how they affect boiling point of a molecule. Think you can help me?",**

 **"Sure. I'll explain it to you at lunch OK?" Jess smiled, with a look of relief on her face.**

 **"Thanks Kara! You're a life-saver!" Our Chemistry teacher returned with all the apparatus and the Alkaline Metal.**

 **We all got up from our seats as Mrs Keating directed us to the back of the lab. She fill the basin with water, laid out some kitchen roll and opened the jar containing the metal, submersed in oil. She took out a piece with a pair of forceps and placed it on the kitchen roll. Then she took a scalpel to cut it. Sodium is a soft metal, the surface was shiny for a moment until it turned to a dull gray. The metal is already reacting to the Oxygen in the air. The Chemistry teacher placed a small amount of Sodium into the water. We watched as it moved around on the water's surface, making a buzzing sound, but it didn't catch fire.**

 **The class had a disheartened look on their faces, so Keating put in another, a tad bit larger. The piece set fire this time, then it extinguished. I thought that was enough observation, Kara thought the same thing but the class persisted in putting another piece in. With much relucantance, Mrs Keating dropped a medium sized piece in the water. The process repeated, move around, ignite then… the students and teacher screamed or jumped back, so did I as the Sodium exploded, with a pretty loud bang! The ceiling caught fire, but it was small and it extinguished itself.**

 **No damage done. I turned to my left but Kara wasn't there! I looked left and right, Kara was nowhere in the lab. But I did notice the door swinging wide open. Holy crap! Did she run!? She exploding Sodium must've triggered my sister's PTSD! She's still vulnerable after what happened to her parents, that means anything regarding to a fire or explosion, that would remind of her of the house fire she was in and the flashover that nearly killed her, she flees. Mrs Keating noticed one of her students were missing and she frowned.**

 **"Where's Kara?" I put my hand up.**

 **"Yes Alex?",**

 **"I'll go look for Kara. The fire and the explosion of the Sodium triggered her PTSD." Mrs Keating's face paled. She's well aware of _The Phantom Fire_ and how sensitive the topic is for my sister. It's in her record.**

 **"Go look for her. You are dismissed.",**

 **"Thank you." I ran. Now, where could Kara go? Somewhere quiet, peaceful, where no one can bother her. A place only I would know… the school rooftop! There's a greenhouse up there that belongs to the caretaker! After Kara discovered it, she liked to go up there ever since if she wanted to be alone. The caretaker of the school let her have access to roof, so that means he may let me up as well. I hope Kara's trigger isn't that bad, otherwise I have to call mom.**

( _Scene: School Rooftop, Midvale High School, Midvale_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

 **I reached the roof of the school, there was the Greenhouse, but… where was Kara? Then, I found a streak of dirty blonde hair down by the corner of the Greenhouse. I walked over to her, yet, keeping in mind not to approach her from the back. I positioned myself in front of Kara, she was a little distraught, I can thank God the trigger isn't severe, but she's shaking and confused. I placed a comforting hand on my sister's shoulder.**

 **"Kara, it's OK! Nothing's going to hurt you!" I said softly,**

 **"No! No! I… I see it! The fire, my parents! The explosion! It's too vivid!" She muttered, frantically,**

 **"Look at me little sis! You're in the school. There's no fire, the reaction of Sodium and water scared you." I tried to explain, "Please look into my eyes Kara." My sister lifted her head slowly. Her eyes were red around the rims, she must've been crying, but the main thing is now, she's coming to her senses.**

 **"I'm sorry!" She quickly apologised. I shook my head.**

 **"There's no need to say sorry baby sister.",**

 **"There is! I should be over this but I can't! I keep seeing their faces!" Kara sobbed, "I'm a mess.",**

 **"No, you're not!" I told her with strong conviction. "You are the strongest kid I've ever met. What you went through, so help me God no child out there would want to experience, has made you stronger. Your parents would be so proud and happy you are in the care of two loving parents and a sister who will lay down her to protect you." Kara smiled softly, just as the bell rang.**

 **"Thanks Alex, I needed that pep talk.",**

 **"You're welcome. Now come on, the bell just rang, we'll be late for Double Physics." We both stood up and left the rooftop.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Kara is strong woman, or was. Just looking at her makes her look so small, helpless, like the helpless little girl who first stepped into our house. My sister was aware of the danger of joining the army. Even if she wasn't on tour, parts of America were hit bad Hurricane Katrina. She was sent out to help those in need or were stranded on the rooftop of their homes because they didn't get out quick enough. She came back after that… with an arm protected by a cream cast and a sling supporting the weight!

She was supposed to be saving people! Of course she wasn't the only one there, Vasquez was with her. They were rescuing a family, a couple and their two daughters. They had a puppy, who was no where near to be seen. Of course Private Danvers quickly deduced that the puppy was still in the house. Kara took off the jacket of her uniform and before PV2 Vasquez could argue with her, Kara leaped into the flooded house. Vasquez and the family waited fifteen minutes before hearing some colourful language coming from my sister, before she emerged with the young, dripping wet puppy in one arm and the other she was trying to support against her chest.

Yup, people guessed right, Kara risked a broken arm to save a puppy. The one group of animals she has a soft spot for. Unfortunately, Eliza didn't take it kindly and she gave my poor baby sister a scolding that will properly make any soldier look small. Eliza barely have Kara a chance to justify her actions. The young family never forgot Kara's face though. They approached CSM Hank Henshaw and asked for her address, he was reluctant, but he couldn't say no to the pleading look in the children's eyes. He gave it to them. The next day, Kara was up early for breakfast, not before she saw a letter addressed to her. It's kind of odd since she rarely receives letters, unless it's something from the US Military.

When she opened it, Kara never thought in the eyes of the young kids, she was a hero. Kara received a card by the two girls, with a drawing done by the father. He must have good photographic memory like Kara, because he captured every single feature of her. The card was a drawing of my sister in her uniform, holding a puppy. At the back of the card, written by the kids themselves was: " _Our hero: Supergirl!_ " My little sister cried, she'd always down grade her abilities, in her eyes, she wouldn't think about the bigger picture of the rescue, just plain old Kara, carrying out her duties. Oh so through the eyes of the victims think otherwise.

I sat in the chair and attempted to make myself as comfortable as possible. God knows when Kara will wake up. Even though I'm a logical, scientific person, I know it's up to Kara when she wants to wake up. It's for her to decide, not us. She's probably in some plane of her consciousness, or world between Life and Death, something that Science can't explain. I pray to God she does wake up. Hell knows what she saw on the field, hopefully it won't make her think _"I can't live in this world."_ No! My sister is stubborn as a mule, she will wake up! For me, Eliza, Jeremiah, who I'm sure is watching her, her friends: Lucy, James and Winn. For all of us! Whatever you think, you better not leave us! Or so help me Kara! I will somehow drag you back to the living and make Heaven hell for you myself!

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 **Ch 2 wrapped up! The third chapter is still in progress.**


	3. A Shadow of Herself

**Third Ch finally here!**

 **Next, Kara wakes up and has to come to terms to the deaths of her three closest comrades. I'm starting off light with Kara's PTSD, I will throw in a few more symptoms as the story progresses and this is where, readers' discretion is advised! If you experienced PTSD or know someone, it may be best read on with care or skip over some parts. I will feel bad for causing triggers in any parts of the world.**

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Chapter 3: A Shadow of Herself

 _Three Days Later…_

( _Scene: Midvale University Hospital, Waiting Room, Midvale_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

Its been three days of going up and down to the hospital, several hours each day of uncomfortable sleeping positions and Kara still hasn't stirred. I'm afraid the doctors will say she slipped into a coma. I heard the door open as my mother entered with two cups of coffee in two styrofoam cups. Great! I need coffee. Eliza handed me my coffee, along with a biscuit. She sat down as I took a sip of my hot coffee.

I sighed, the three days have been gruelling. James, Winn and Lucy came to visit my sister. Her room is filled with ' _Get Well_ ' cards and at the side of her table, a postcard from CSM Hank Henshaw and PV2 Vasquez. It was nice of them, I would like to meet them, if only my baby sister opened her eyes so she could introduce us to them.

 _"Please Kara, wake up! Everyone's so worried about you! Mother is so afraid of losing you like we lost dad."_ I mentally begged. Everything was the same, Kara's unmoving body, the steady beep of the heart monitor, watching Kara's chest rise and fall. Then something changed! My eye caught a finger moving, then a hand. Oh my god! Is Kara regaining consciousness!? I stood up, startling mom.

"Alex! What's going on!?",

"Kara! I think she's waking up!" Eliza shot up as Kara's eyes fluttered.

( _Kara's POV_ )

I opened my eyes, only to be met by blinding white light. I shut them for a moment, in seconds they readjusted. I found myself in a new surrounding. Why am I not in Syria? Why are the walls white? Where am I? I turned my head, to see mother and Alex looking over me, with relief on their faces.

"Mom? Alex? What are you two doing here? What's going on?" I asked them,

"The doctors will explain all that. We're just you're awake!" Said Alex. I frowned, why is she not giving me a straight answer? Wait… oh my god! I remember! My face instantly paled. I was in the convoy with First Lieutenant Reynolds and two other Specialists: Tsung and Donanvan! I remember when the truck rolled over a pressure-plated bomb! We didn't know until it was too late. The truck I was in, is not exactly bomb-proof. Being seated near the back of the convoy truck, the force of the explosion caused me to fly out before I blacked out.

No! No, no no! Tsung and Donavan are dead! Reynolds was already gone because he was driving the truck. And I was the last one to see them! I sitting so close to them, why didn't I pull them out with me!? Eliza and Alex were getting concerned with my silence.

"Kara, is everything OK?",

"No." I grumbled,

"What?" Alex couldn't hear me, so I repeated what I said, in an outburst they never expected. I clenched my fist, till my knuckles went white.

"I said no! Reynolds, Tsung and Donavan are dead! I couldn't save Reynolds but hell! I should've saved Tsung and Donavan! They're dead because I couldn't grab them fast enough! How am I going to face their families!?" I began to cry,

"Oh sweetie, it isn't your fault. What would Captain Jeremiah say to you?" Eliza soothed,

"You can't save everyone." I sniffled,

"Sadly he is right. It's the harsh truth we have to come to terms with.",

"But I was sitting so close to them! I should've grabbed them when I was thrown out of the truck!" I cried,

"You can't turn the clock sweetie, you accept that. People live and people die." I threw myself into mom and cried into her shoulder. Mom wasn't bothered that I was drenching her shoulder in my tears. I just need her to hold me and hug me.

 _One Week Later…_

( _Scene: Danvers' Household, Midvale_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I stepped out of the car, staring at the home I was supposed to be away from for six months. I was only gone for three. After I woke up from being in a state of unconsciousness for three days, the doctors kept me in for another week to make sure all the wounds I sustained from the landmine are healed and none of them have been infected. Most of them did heal, but many left scars, particularly on my back and arms. I'm afraid to look them. I feel marked, ugly.

When I made mom and Alex go home, I would fall asleep. There are staff on night duty, yet as soon as I sleep, I find myself back in Syria, in the truck, the convoy. I see Tsung, Reynolds and Donavan. I knew Reynolds was driving the truck, I was talking to Tsung and Donavan, we were all laughing, joking and making plans of what we were going to do as soon as we get home. Donavan has a girlfriend, he spoke to her over Skype, she was going to be waiting for him at the airport. My friend, comrade and brother was going to propose to her! If I remember correctly, he said her name is Rachel.

Tsung, on the other hand is taking things slower with his girlfriend. Michelle I think? He was going to ask her to move into his apartment. They were close, but took their relationship at a steady pace. Finally, Reynolds. He has family waiting for him at home; his wife and two kids: a son and daughter, one aged seven and the other five. Then… everything was all slow motion. I was thrown out of the truck, feeling intense heat behind me. I couldn't comprehend the loud explosion.

For a second, I thought I was back home, my real house with my real family. No, before I saw myself hitting the ground, I woke up screaming. I was covered in cold sweat, heart rate increasing. I had a nightmare. I never told the doctors about them or to my family. I didn't want to add more stress. I don't need a counsellor to listen to my problems. I can control this! Suddenly, my thoughts were broken by my adoptive sister.

"Kara? Earth to Kara?" I noticed Alex was snapping her fingers in front of me. I blinked.

"Sorry Alex. Just spaced out a little.",

"Are you OK?" Alex gave me a worried look. I waved my hand at her.

"I'm fine Alex, honestly.",

"OK, I'm going to head inside and you might want to read these." My sister handed me a couple of leaflets. I gave her a quizzical look. She started to explain. "They're information booklets on PTSD, along with a few business cards of pretty good counselling and therapy sessions if you need them.",

"I'll hold onto them but hopefully I won't need them big sister." Alex rolled her eyes and helped me with my bags. She took two of them of them and proceeded into the house. I grabbed the heaviest one in the boot of the jeep. As soon as I pulled it to put on my shoulder, I dropped it instantly, clutching my injured shoulder. Damn it! I forgot my right shoulder is injured, luckily my left side isn't. That's what I get for being right side dominant. Eliza walked over to me, looking concerned. She must've heard me hissing in pain. Thankfully the doctors gave me some painkillers. I'll take them tonight.

"You alright Kara? I heard you yelp in pain.",

"I'm fine." I said to her, reaching down with my left hand. Eliza stepped forward, stretching out her hand to help.

"Let me take it for you." She offered, but for some unknown reason, I snapped at her, slapping her hand away from and I snarled,

"I don't need your help!" Eliza held her ground, clutching the hand that I slapped. There was this look of fear in her eyes. We heard Alex step out of the house, she noticed something was up.

"What happened?" I didn't give an answer. I just picked up my bag with my good functioning arm and walked off.

( _Alexandra's POV_ )

I turned, watching Kara storm off, which is unlike her. I brought my attention back to mom, who was still frozen in shock and still clutching her hand. I gave her a look of concern. Did Kara hurt her? No! Kara would never hurt a fly, despite all the trauma she went through.

"Mom, what happened? Please talk to me.",

"It's OK Alex, Kara just snapped. Poor girl is probably tired. She didn't mean it.",

"Are you sure? Should I talk to her in the morning?",

"No no! She'll be fine. Like I said, tiredness can make her snappy." I sighed and so, I decided to drop the subject about my sister.

"Alright. If you insist." We entered the house, just as we heard Kara closing the door to her bedroom. Just give her some space, she'll be her perky self again tomorrow. Yet, I worry what's going on in my sister's mind. She seems to blame herself for not saving her comrades, but Kara can't save everyone, it's the one thing she is still unable to accept.

 _Next Day…_

( _Scene: Danvers' Household, Midvale_ /Kara's POV)

I woke up the next morning, the rays of the sun seeped in through the curtains, offering some form of light in my room. I slowly pulled myself up from my bed, being careful not agitate some of my wounds. I changed into my clothes, a simple black tank top and a pair of baggy tracksuit pants, that's my lazy clothes. Alex sometimes wears her PJs, I do it too and Eliza doesn't mind when myself and Alex have moments in not wanting to get into clothes.

As I walked down the stairs, the smell of breakfast being hit my nose. Three months since I had a proper meal. The food in the army isn't that bad, we had a chef but… most of the time we are eating MRE packs. They're not delicious, but they are packed with energy and protein. It took me a while to get used to the taste. I nearly threw up on my first pack.

I entered the kitchen, Eliza was there, Alex was reading science articles. I looked back at mom, thinking back to yesterday… oh god! I snapped at her and not just that, I physically slapped her hand away from me! Her and Alex know I wouldn't hurt anyone! I don't know why I done it, perhaps I'm still raw from what happened in Syria, the families of my comrades will not bear to gaze in my direction. I heard mom serving the food, only to see me.

"Kara! You're up!" She smiled, "How are you feeling?" How is she being so civil around me after I somewhat hurt her. I gave her a small smile.

"As good as I'll ever be." We all sat down at the table and began to eat. Better apologise now. "Mom, I'm… sorry for snapping at you yesterday. I guess I was a small bit cranky.",

"Nonsense Kara, you don't have to apologise. You were tired, beyond drained after recent events." She replied. Do I really deserved to be forgiven this easily? Next, we all heard the sound of mail falling onto the hall floor. Alex stood up.

"I'll go get it." She left for a brief moment, then to enter once again with a couple post letters. She was going through them, while muttering. "Mine, mine, mine…" She handed mom her post. "That's for you mom." She went through the others, the rest were junk, with a few electricity and heating bills. That was when her face fell, like someone dropped a weight on her head. Eliza and I grew worried.

"What is it Alex?" There was a single letter in her hand,

"This is for you baby sis." My heart began to beat, hard and fast like a machine gun. I hesitantly took the letter from her, judging by the layout and formality, it's from the American Defence Force themselves. Turning the post, I opened it. I pulled out the letter and the tears instantly came.

It was a request to attend the funeral of First Lieutenant Reynolds, Specialist Tsung and Donavan. They want me to be there. Oh god! I'll be seeing their families! Donavan's and Tsung's girlfriends! The letter said to email back if I am attending, they already have three groups of six-man Honour Guard. The funeral is due in a weeks time. My hand began to shake, then, it was followed by a sudden rush of anger. In one swift motion, I slammed the letter onto the table, my fist, a back-hand to be more specific, connecting with my plate and sent it crashing to the tile floor, filling the kitchen with the sound of breaking ceramic. I was not only angry, but overwhelmed by the invite, how could they ask someone to attend a funeral and being the last one to see them!?

I need to get out, I need air for a bit. Before Eliza and Alex questioned me, I got up from my seat and stormed out. I opened the door, walking out of the house, slammed it shut behind me. Next, I just ran. And ran. And ran, with no sense of direction as much as I know Midvale inside out. It didn't matter, I just kept running.

( _Alexandra's POV_ )

I just stood there, frozen in my place. What just happened? My brain was trying to process this. All Kara did was read a letter from the Army, only to have an anger outburst and stormed out of the house. I was thinking of going after her but… I decided against it. Kara needs her space and as much as I want to be there for her, I have to give her time to herself. I picked up the letter she was reading, now I understand! She stormed out because this is an invite to attend the funeral of the three fallen soldiers. Kara still blames herself for being unable to save two of them. Survivor's Guilt is what's going through my mind right now. My sister has a case of Survivor's Guilt, if I remember correctly, it falls under PTSD.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder has many symptoms, the severity depends how many of them the person shows. So far, it doesn't seem that bad, Survivor's Guilt is only one of them. Right after she woke up, Kara kept telling us what she could've done differently. I'm also hoping this doesn't add to the PTSD that she suffered when she was younger, the fire. I am used to telling the signs of it, I just don't know if Kara shows other symptoms after being affected in a combat zone. The symptoms I've seen after the accident and losing her family, were different. Or this all could overlap.

When Kara was revealing signs of PTSD from the fire, it took us months to get her out of her shell, calm her fear of fire whenever we sat at night, in front of the open fire in the sitting room. Fireworks during Christmas and Halloween were another trigger, it reminded her of the flashover. Now, these small things could remind her of the landmine.

"Alex, what was the letter about?" Mom asked me,

"The Army invited Kara to the funeral.",

"Oh, will she accept?" I shook my head,

"That's for her to decide, not us." I put the letter down on the counter and brought my attention to the broken plate she swiped off the table. My sister is usually in control of her anger, but to see a sudden outburst like that, it scares me. I'm sure it scares Eliza and it scares Kara herself. Hm… I have to return to work in two weeks, maybe a change of scenery could help my baby sister. After I cleaned up the mess, I decided to bring the idea to Eliza's attention.

"Mom?",

"Yes?",

'You know I'll be leaving for National City in two weeks." I said to her,

"Of course, why?",

"I was thinking if a change of scenery could help Kara a little bit. She won't be returning to the field for quite a while. I was wondering if she could come with me. She can share my apartment and… perhaps a part-time job could take things off her mind." I suggested,

"It's not a bad idea, you'll have to ask her, but that's once she makes her decision on the funeral.",

"Don't worry. I'll wait." But something inside me is nagging. Kara seems to be a ghost of herself, first, she never snaps at anyone and would never lay a hand on anyone. Second, she rarely has emotional outbursts, not since our High School days. I've also noted my sister is spacing out a lot. Last night, I heard her crying, I wanted to go in and comfort, but she'd just tell me she's fine. These of the signs of PTSD, I better keep a close eye on her, Kara is slowly becoming a shadow of who she once was. I can't help her recover, she has to do that herself. I can only offer support guidance, it's up to my sister whether she admits or not. After being with her for so long, I can tell she tends to hide her emotions and put on a mask. That's not healthy, right now, I see she's dying inside, but her exterior shouts: _"I'm fine!"_. Fine my ass, please open up Kara, before you destroy yourself.

 _Two Hours Later…_

( _Scene: Sitting Room, Danvers' Household, Midvale_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I walked back into my house. After that long sprint, I stopped at the beach, sitting on the large boulder. It's always where myself, dad and Alex sat on, every time we go. How I miss those times, I wish dad was here, I could have someone who would listen to me, understand what I'm thinking right now. I thought more about attending the funeral, but I've made my decision. I'm going to write the email, saying I'm not going. I can't face the families, I can't face their girlfriends because the first thing they'll ask me is: _"What his last words?"_ And of course, I keep hearing their words in my head like someone put a CD on repeat:

 ** _"I'm going to propose to Rachel."_ ,**

 _ **"I'm going to ask Michelle to move in with me."**_

I wish I can erase them from my mind! Last night, I dreamed of them again, Tsung and Donavan, so kind and carefree. They were both older than me, but we looked out for each other. Why is it me who has to remember their faces? Their final thoughts? It's doing nothing but haunting me! I should've done better! I should've been faster! Why was I the only survivor of that truck?

I turned to the sitting room, to see my sister and Eliza. They were sitting on the couch by the fire. It's the one thing that doesn't bother me. I've always had a fear of fire since the accident that killed my parents and burned my home to the ground. Police never figured out how it happened, who or how the fire started. The case went cold. I coughed gently to get Alex's and mom's attention. They both turned their heads. Alex shot up like a bullet.

"Kara! You're here!" She gently hugged me, knowing my shoulder is still fragile. "Where did you run to?",

"I went far as the beach." I told her,

"A secluded place to think." Eliza mused,

"Little sis, I read the letter. I know this is hard for you, but you need to send an email of your decision." Said Alex,

"I know. I thought about it as well.",

"So…",

"I'm not going." I said with the strongest voice I can muster,

"But Kara, are you sure that's wise? It can be a chance to make peace with the families and your comrades." Alex soothed,

"And I'm not ready to face them, or never will be. I failed them, how can give my condolences to their families?",

"Kara think about this…" I cut Alex off,

"I said no! My choice is final, I'm sending that email and I don't want to hear anymore about it." I growled,

"Fine." Alex gulped, "Here, I returning to work in two weeks.",

"You're heading back to National City?" I grunted,

"Do you want to come with me?" She asked me. I perked my head up.

"What?",

"Do you want to come to National City with me? You can stay with me at my apartment. Think of it as a break, a change of scenery." I thought about it, maybe I could do with a break. I don't find home very helpful for some strange reason. I guess it wouldn't hurt. I can visit James and Winn, Lucy is working part-time at CatCo Worldwide Media as Legal Advisor. James is a photographer, an award-winning one as he received a Pulitzer and Winn is the IT Guy. It can be a chance to catch up with them, they've been all worried about me and I didn't think twice about contacting them. I turned my attention back to Alex.

"Sure, I'll go." Alex smiled slightly,

"Good. On one condition.",

"Name it.",

"Go to the funeral." She simply said,

"Alex!" I whined, "That's blackmail full power!",

"Kara, please do this for me. It might make you feel somewhat better." I growled frustratingly at Alex. That asshole for a sister got me good there. I'm guessing if I don't go, she won't let me accompany her to National City, and if I agree to go the funeral, she'll let me. What choice do I have, she makes a fair argument that I can speak to Tsung's and Donavan's families. I do know their last words, it may comfort them to know.

"Fine, you win. I'll send the email telling the Army I'm attending. You owe me for this!",

"Potstickers? National City has the best." Alex smirked,

"I fucking hate you." And we hugged,

"Language Kara!" Eliza scolded. Some things never change. I just have to get ready for the funeral, which is in a week's time. I just hope I don't become a right mess.

* * *

 **Kara made her choice, she's attending the Reynold's, Tsung's and Donavan's funeral. Will it help her to cope or will she bend and snap?**


	4. She Bends

**Sorry for the brief delay! I was doing a lot of debating to myself whether I'll do a single long ch or parts. Originally Ch 4:** ** _She Bends and Snaps_** **was going to be one super long ch, but decided to go split.**

 **Kara's life is like a rod. This Ch:** ** _She Bends_** **is the start of her PTSD beginning to get worse. The reason I was subtle with the symptoms of it, was reflecting the fact Kara is keeping things to herself. I won't spoil anymore so, enjoy!**

 **Also, I hope I got the formality of a Military Funeral right! I did a bit of research into that!**

* * *

Chapter 4: She Bends

 _One Week Later…_

( _Scene: Memorial Graveyard, Midvale_ / _Kara's POV_ )

We all stood in a line at the graveyard. It was a morbid time and day, it's place I do not want to be. I sent my email a week ago, saying I will be attending. So here I am, wearing my straightened and cleaned uniform, at the funeral of Reynolds, Tsung and Donavan. Myself and hundreds of other soldiers stood side by side, showing our respect, proper formality to our comrades and brothers who have died. I tried so hard to keep my stance stiff, but because I saw what happened, it threatened to break me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Alex's cruel blackmail, she meant well of course. She thought it would help me forgive myself. It's not really, it's making me feel more miserable.

I watched as the three caskets' brought in by a hearse arrived at the cemetery, next, three groups of six-man Guard of Honour carried the casket to the site, where three, six feet deep graves were dug. Then, an order was belted out by the Colonel and we shifted our stances in sync. You could tell by the crisp, clean sound of the movements made by every single soldier. The next fifteen minutes was spent by the Pastor reading a Committal Service. My gaze was diverted when I saw Reynolds' family, they were in pieces. The mother and the other family members, I'm not too sure the young kids understand that their father has left them. Tsung's and Donavan's family were no different, they were all wiping away their tears with a tissue and letting out a stifled cry. God damn it! Should I even be here!? On top of my posture wanting to break, I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I would be breaking the Code of Conduct, but I watched as the odd soldier let out a sniffle or a single tear. Reynolds, Tsung and Donavan had made some form of impact in our lives. Once this is all over, maybe I can slip away and grieve to myself. I couldn't break my posture now!

As soon as the Pastor was finished, I watched as the Guards of Honour held the American flag taut over the casket. Their position was held as we all heard the sound of the seven-man firing party fire three volleys. The three of them would be proud, they served the Army well and deserved an honourable burying. The second sound was by a bugler, signalling ' _Tap_ '. At that point, the three groups of Honour Guards moved again, ceremoniously folding the American Flag in perfect synchronisation. Finally, the highest ranking officer, which so happened to be General Lane as he was in the area presented the flags to the families, one by one, giving them each a brief statement of gratitude and a sharp salute.

The funeral was over, the caskets were buried and covered. My three comrades and friends can rest in peace, but am I really at peace? A part of me says _yes_. The other says _no_. The part of me saying _no_ , is the part that's making me doubt my previous actions. I had a chance to save at least two of them! Then there wouldn't be three coffins buried. Tsung and Donavan would be next to me, next to their families and girlfriends. Everyone was parting ways, now's my chance and I power walked out of the Memorial.

I shakily reached the car, but my knees buckled at this stage. I sat down on the cold, stone ground, leaning against the car door. Taking off my military cap, I let my emotions pour out. I can't even bring myself to give my condolences to the families. That was when Tsung's and Donavan's words rang through my head.

 _ **"I'm going to propose to Rachel.",**_

 _ **"I'm going to ask Michelle to move in with me."**_

It kept replaying in my mind, so much until their voices began speaking the same time, sometimes out of sync, before speaking as one voice again. I covered my ears and shut my eyes. The voices still wouldn't stop, until they became malicious.

 _ **"This is your fault!",**_

 _ **"You should've died with us!"**_

I suddenly couldn't take it anymore. My whole body was shaking, my tears kept pouring out. Yet, what if those voices are right? Should I have died with them? It would've saved me a lot pain, bearing the burden of witnessing their deaths, forever ingrained in my mind. The last straw was both Tsung's and Donavan's voices telling me:

 _ **"Just die!"**_ ,

"No!" I cried even harder than normal. They're right, it is my fault. I had a chance to save them, I blew it. I can never forgive myself for that and not with their voices in my head. I failed, as a soldier and friend.

"Kara?" Said a familiar voice. I looked up, it was SGM Lucy Lane, the youngest daughter of General Sam Lane and sister to Lois Lane. I stared at Lucy, there was concern written on her face.

"Sergeant Major Lane! I…" She didn't let me finish my sentence,

"Kara, there's no need for formalities now. I'm here for you as a friend." Lucy helped me up, walking to a low wall we could sit on. It's better than the ground anyways. We stayed silent for a moment, before Lucy broke it. "Do you want to talk about it?",

"I- I don't know… I…" I stuttered,

"It's OK Kara, you can tell me in your own time, but don't bury it too long. I can see something is eating you up from the inside.",

"It's nothing serious." I lied straight out. I hopped off the wall and pulled out the car keys. "Look Lucy, I'm sorry to cut this short but… I need to head home. Will be you be in National City?",

"Yes. Why?" She questioned,

"I'll be there, with Alex. I'll see you then?",

"Yeah. And Kara, you're not alone, reach out to someone if you need help." Said she. I smiled slightly, before saluting her, in which she returned. Putting the keys into the keyhole, I opened the door, placed the keys into the side, turned on the ignition and drove off.

As I drove home, the voices began to replay in my head agin. I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles went white. Why won't it just leave me alone!? Is this my punishment for not being able to save them? Haunted by their voices? Maybe God isn't that all-forgiving and all righteous. Perhaps this is Him condemning me for my failed actions and giving my friends an untimely death. They were too young to leave this world. I was so lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the speed of the car was picking up. It wasn't until I reached the traffic lights, where a lone pedestrian was crossing. My reflexes instantly kicked in, my foot slamming on the break, jerking to a sudden halt and narrowly missing the man on the road.

" _Fuck woman! Are you crazy!?_ " He yelled, giving the two fingers and hurried to the other side of the path. God! This is starting to affect my driving as well! What is wrong with me? Do I even deserve to live, the life I'm living should've been given to my comrades. I couldn't bring myself to look at their families! I failed them, I failed everyone! Is my life worth living anymore?

 _Ten Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Danvers' Household, Midvale_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I entered home, tossing the house keys onto the counter with a ' _clink_ '. What was Alex thinking!? I was barely holding my emotions in! I headed upstairs straight to my room, both mom and my sister came into the hall. I was ten steps from my bedroom. Alex called out to me.

"Kara! How did it go?" I gave no answer, I went into my room and slammed the door.

( _Alexandra's POV)_

I turned my gaze to mom. Is Kara mad at me for making her go? I genuinely thought it would help her a little bit. Did I make it worse? Maybe Kara should have not gone to the funeral. Perhaps he was right. Oh no! I pushed her too much!

"Go talk to her Alex." Mom said,

"I think she's mad at me though. Will Kara actually listen to me?" I questioned,

"You and Kara have a bond I've never seen in the world. She'll only be mad at you for a while. Though that trip to National City should smoothen things out." I smiled and went upstairs to Kara's room as mom retreated to the sitting room. When I reached the top of the stairs, I knocked on the door gently.

"What do you want Alex?" Kara groaned,

"Can I come in?" I asked,

"It's a free country sis." My sister said blandly. I sighed, opening the door, finding Kara out of her uniform and in her PJs. She was lying on her bed. Seeing me, she sat up, making room for me on her bed. I sat on the bed, letting Kara lie on my shoulder.

"Kara, I'm sorry for making you go to the funeral.",

"No need to apologise, you were just trying to help me." She muttered,

"How are you holding up?" Kara is so fragile now, she could break any moment. She's like a pane of glass, no matter how hard you make it, even if it's bulletproof, there's something out there that can shatter it and my sister is on that edge. My gaze drifted to the digital clock, it read: _20:30_. I remember when we were younger, Kara and I argued about which type of clock was easier to read: twelve-hour or twenty four-hour. It was an argument that amused both mom and dad. After dad's death, when Kara joined the Army, it was a few days since she finished her first tour. It took myself and mom five weeks to break Kara out her habit of telling the time military style. For example, instead of _9:00_ or _21:00_ , like a normal person, she'd say: _0900_ hours or _2100_ hours. Let's just say, it did our heads in. If dad was here, he'd be laughing.

"As good as I'll ever be." Kara told me, replying to my answer,

"You know I'm always here for you.",

"I know." She whispered, "I forgive you for making me go to the funeral. I'll let it slide.",

"You have National City to look forward to. You'll meet Winn and James again, Lucy too.",

"Notified her. She was at the funeral today with her father.",

"Here, let me make it up to you. Once we get to NC, make yourself comfortable in my apartment, we'll go to a bar and have a few drinks. With your High School friends.",

"The only High School friends." She corrected. I chuckled. "Can you stay with me till I sleep? Just for tonight and… I think I should just crash early.",

"No problem baby sis."

Two hours, three hours passed, Kara was out cold. I need to change into my sleeping gear. Slowly and as I quietly as I could, I moved Kara so I can race to my room, change and back before she notices. I silently walked out of her room, sprinted to mine, changed as if I had super speed and rushed back. Good, Kara hardly noticed. I got back on the bed and brought Kara close to me and protectively. I am praying to God that the trip to NC may help Kara open up a bit. I know she's hiding things and is afraid to add further worry and stress on myself and mom and I don't want my sister to go back into the ' _shut down_ ' mode she was in, when she arrived as a teen.

It took my parents and I a solid four weeks to get Kara to come out of her shell, followed a week in the middle of the four to get her to eat something solid! Hell! We had counselling sessions at the ready but that was a last resort if was really bad, though we were determined to do it ourselves. Our persistence eventually worked, when Kara came the stairs to us for the first time, to join us at the fireplace, with a mug of hot chocolate. It was also, the first time in the four weeks with us, she actually smiled, it was a shy, meek one, but she smiled. We were getting through to her and I stepped up the mantle a bit more as the older sister. I promised to my parents, and her biological parents, whoever they were and are looking over their daughter, I will protect her.

Yet, seeing Kara like this, it makes me feel I'm failing this promise right now. God, give the strength to keep me from breaking!

* * *

 **Kara's rod has bent, now, we wait for the** ** _Snap_** **in Ch 5. I know, I'm a little cruel! I'm sorry! I know it's short, the majority of Kara's PTSD becoming too overbearing is in Ch 5! My exams are starting tw, so don't expect an update for a while!**


	5. She Snaps

**Oh! This was a nightmare to write! This is a whopper! And I aim to do the same with Ch 6. Sorry for the delay, exams are real douche these days. I'm half-way through Week One, but update will still be sketchy. Thanks so far for supporting the story!**

 **Forgive the long dialogue, but… yeah. Enjoy Ch 5!**

* * *

Chapter 5: She Snaps

 _One Week Later…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Alex opened the door to her apartment, then dragging her suitcase into the room. I lifted my backpack onto my shoulder, it thankfully healed, no pain whenever I lift something heavy. The reason I brought a backpack and not a suitcase, was because Alex, refused to let me bring half my clothes which she thinks are ' _old_ ' and are more suited to wear around the house, gardening and the majority are workout clothes and baggy tracksuits. I barely have any night clothes for bars and clubs, I was never bothered to go to any of them. I was either:

a) Too tired,

b) Wanted to stay at home and relish being in the comfort of my own bed.

I dropped my backpack onto the floor, getting a decent scan of Alex's apartment. It was fairly large, has a kitchen, a sitting area, the main bedroom and a single guest room. To top it all off, was a nice picturesque view of National City, where CatCo Worldwide Media skyscraper dominated the city. I whistled.

"A lovely apartment Alex. What's the rent like? Is the landlord fair? Do I have to call Lucy to remind him of his rights and the tenants?" My questions fired at Alex like an SMG; a Sub-machine Gun being fired at a rate of three bullets per second. Alex just stared at me like I'm stupid or she is.

"First question: rent is $250 a month. Second: yes, the landlord is fair and he's cool and thirdly: no, you don't have to call your personal lawyer.",

"Lucy's not my lawyer." I complained,

"She did say call whenever you need her." Alex smirked,

"Shut up." I said back, as picked up my backpack and went to the guest room to unpack.

 _Twenty Minutes Later…_

I stepped out, all my stuff is unpacked and put into the wardrobe. Alex was at the table on her iPad, probably going through her emails. As far as I know, she works at Lord Technologies under multi-millionaire Maxwell Lord. A fitting surname, I heard he's a genius, IQ of 225-230. That's my IQ as well, but wherever he went to school, I hope he wasn't bullied over it like me. It hurt me the fact I was picked on because I was smart. Those kids are smart in their own ways, if they put in more effort into their studies. Alex would sometimes vent to me about her boss. She tells me he's a smug, overly proud, dick-face arse. Ouch.

I read an article about him also. He's attempting to develop an exo-suit that will increase a person's strength. So far, only prototypes are being made and it's still at experimental stage. He also funded other research programmes into improving America's military and General Lane is very open to it. Wait now, in a few years, Call of Duty will be real.

"Hey Kara, I got to pop into Lord Technologies for a bit and also let my boss know I'm back. Will you be OK?",

"Of course, I was planning on going to CatCo to see Winn, Lucy and James.",

"Alright. If you have any issues, big or small, call me. Also, I left some money on the counter for you to get a taxi since… you don't know the city that well." I crossed my arms, but nodded.

"That's fine. I'll see you tonight? Take-out?",

"Yup. Movie marathon?" Alex further suggested,

"Potstickers? And sure, how about… _Star Wars_ Marathon?",

"I promise potstickers, but no! Not _Star Wars_!",

"You're boring! Because Science is your specialty, you can't enjoy a good Sci-Fi movie anymore." I complained,

"Same goes for you and you still watch it!" Alex retorted, "How about we stream online? _Don't Breathe_ is on it and I heard it's very good."

"Alright. We're watching _Godzilla_ then.",

"The… 1998 version?" She asked and I cringed upon hearing that.

"God no! That was terrible!",

"Then is it the one released in 2014?",

"Even worse. I'm talking about 1995: _Godzilla vs Destoroyah_.",

"I hate you and your love of monster films." I smirked at her playfully,

"Blame dad.",

"I do. Now go see your friends!" Alex chided as she grabbed her keys and bag.

"And you go to work." I told her as I grabbed the money for the taxi. When we got outside, we hugged and took separate taxis. I got into the taxi and told the driver:

"CatCo please.",

"Yes miss!" He answered, almost too enthusiastically. I admire him for loving his job as most taxi drivers seem bored and dull.

 _Ten Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: CatCo Worldwide Media, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I stepped out of the taxi, paying the driver and he drove off. I looked at the skyscraper, a magnificent piece of architecture. The thousands of windows reflected the sunlight, giving off a bright gleam. I walked into the building, my eye catching the receptionist manning the desk. There are so many floors in CatCo, I don't know which floor James, Winn and Lucy work on. I headed for the reception, unknowingly, crashing into someone with a sturdy build. We both collapsed on the floor as tons of photos fluttered to the ground. I groaned as I felt my shoulder injury twitch in agitation. I looked up see one of my old High School friends.

"James!?",

"Kara!?" He replied in the same surprised tone. I helped him pick up all his photos, placing them carefully into their boxes. I lifted one of the boxes as James carried the other. Finally, he started some small talk. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Midvale!",

"Alex invited me here for a few weeks. I won't be returning to the field for a while and I'm going to guess that's the case until Lucy deems me fit." I chuckled,

"Great to see you up and about. Are you visiting us?",

"I was going to ask what floor you and the others work on." I explained,

"Well follow me." James brought me to the elevator and pressed the ' _Up_ ' button. We waited a few seconds before hearing the ' _ding_ '. We stepped in and James pushed a button to take us to the fortieth floor.

"How's your boss treating you?" I asked him, "I heard Miss Cat Grant is hard to work with.",

"She has her days." He laughed. We reached the top floor. Whoa! The bullpen is huge! At the far end, was Miss Grant's office. How much did she pay for the TVs and are those windows necessary? Are they soundproof? Inside, I saw two people inside, one was definitely Winn and a younger kid, I don't know. I was going to stroll ahead, but I realised I was still carrying James' box.

"Go on ahead. I'll take the box." He said. I passed James the box, he turned to the left to his office, the Art Department. I headed for the main office, I was planning on spooking Winn. Whenever you jump him, he has the funniest scream, you'd mistake him for a girl! I remember doing that to him once, took him a month to forgive me. I was literally five steps from the office, I didn't notice they were playing video-games, at medium-high volume and all of a sudden, I hear this loud explosion that reminded me of the of the pressure-plated bomb.

I take several steps back, crashing into a desk at a lot of force than I originally anticipated, shifting it from its position and sending several items to floor. All I see is being in the hot desert, I see Specialist Tsung and Donavan and also First Lieutenant Reynolds, their bodies sprawled out on the sand in a bloody mess. I see bits of them, an arm here, a leg there, I see the truck we were in, damaged beyond repair. There was smoke and fire coming from the bumper. Next, I turned and froze. I saw myself, lying on the ground unconscious, I saw the wounds that I received, bleeding heavily, particularly the ones on my back. That is where the majority of the scars are. My uniform a torn mess with the odd charred area.

I clutch my head, confused, I find myself switching between the location of the accident and CatCo. Everything looks like it's flickering, CatCo flickers to Syria and back. I see the clothes I am wearing flicker between my torn uniform and vice-versa. Please make it stop! My heart rate increases, spiking almost, it becomes difficult to breathe, my body starts shaking, trembling again, cold sweat running my back. I hear the voices again and it's not Tsung and Donavan, this voice sounded demonic, no, not demonic! It's my comrades voices blended into one. The voice was telling me:

 _ **"Your life is not worth existing.",**_

 _ **"Kill yourself.",**_

 _ **"Their deaths shall be your burden."**_

 _ **"You are pathetic excuse of a soldier!"**_ Another voice!? A recognisable one too. It was dad's. That did it, I finally ticked, as if no one was in the facility, I screamed, with much anger and pain.

"Kara!" Said a voice, frantic and worried, but it wasn't in my unstable mind, it was coming from the real world. "Kara! Breathe, in and out! Carter! Pull the plug!" James? I had my eyes shut, but I felt I was being gently guided to a couch.

"She's in here Lucy!" Said a panicking voice. Winn?

"Alright Danvers, listen to my voice now." Told a soothing, calm feminine voice. Is that Lucy? I'm finding it hard now to tell the difference between real and imaginary. Lucy spoke to me again. "Winn called Alex, she's on her way. Right now, I need you to focus on my voice and slowly, bring yourself back here." I tried to slow my rapid breathing. I felt the rate drop a small bit, my shaking stopped at least, so did the voices. My dad's voice is new, but… he would never think lowly of me! Would he?

"You're doing good Kara. You're not in Syria, you're not in a combat zone. You are in CatCo, surrounded by your friends, in a safe, warm environment." Lucy guided. I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurred from having them closed so tightly. Eventually, it settled, I was in the main office. I turned to the TV, only to find it switched off, seeing the cable on the boss' desk. The young boy behind Winn must've pulled the plug. Next, I hear Alex bursting into the room like any sane sister would. She was gasping for air. Did she run from Lord Technologies?

"Kara! Are you OK?" I was still a little shook from that panic attack or trigger whatever you want to call it but I managed to answer:

"I'm OK, thanks to everyone." Alex turned her attention to Lucy, James and Winn.

"Thank you, for helping Kara. I'm going to bring her home." She turned to me, "Maybe you should lay off from _Godzilla_ for a while sis." I chuckled at her,

"Then we'll watch _Me Before You_ instead.",

"How does your humour manage to stay intact?" She pondered. She then. tossed me some money and said, "Call a taxi and wait for me." I nodded, getting up, I was a little but managed to find my balance. I walked to the elevator and entered, pressing the button for Ground Floor.

( _Alexandra's POV_ )

Once Kara was out of earshot, I glared at James, Winn and the kid, not caring who he was. I began counting to ten in English, French, Spanish, German, even Ancient Greek. Yes, I'm multilingual, I at least didn't have difficulties in grasping languages like Kara and it usually helps before I explode and punch someone out cold. Everyone was staring at like idiots as I began muttering Ancient Greek, followed by a deep breath. Lucy stood to side, even though she can intimidating as Sergeant Major, she knows I'm scarier when my fuse blows, especially when it comes to Kara's welfare. Now I explode.

"What the hell happened!" I screeched. Kara's friends and the kid blocked their ears. Lucy was unfazed as she bolted to close the door to shut out bystanders from eavesdropping. "I leave my sister for fifteen minutes! Only to get a call by Winn telling me and I quote: ' _Alex! It's Kara! She's having a bad, very bad trigger moment! Get your butt here ASAP_ '! How did it happen!?" I hissed at them, sounding like a snake.

"I- I… um… I-" Winn stuttered. I shook my head and told him:

"Think, then speak Winslow." The young boy hid behind Winn, I think I scared the living daylights out of the poor lad with my explosive temper.

"Carter and I were playing _Call of Duty: Modern Warfare_ and…" I cut him off.

"So that's what triggered Kara's PTSD! You were playing a frickin' war game!?" I had to change the word because I didn't want to swear in front of a kid and he looks traumatised enough.

"I didn't know Kara would be here!" Winn defended,

"She wanted to surprise you and James." I told him, sadly. His face fell.

"Oh God! I got to apologise to her!",

"It wasn't your fault." I turned to the kid, "Carter right?" He nodded,

"That's me. I'm sorry for hurting your sister. She's a soldier right?" I knelt down to him at eye-level.

"Yes, my sister is in the Army, like Lucy. Something bad happened to her and… she's a bit fragile.",

"I'm so sorry!" He cried. I took him by the shoulder,

"Hey! It's alright. Kara has a very forgiving heart. You didn't know about her having PTSD, it's a discreet disorder." Then the door opened. Here is the devil in her full glory: CEO and millionaire Cat Grant. Wait! Carter's her son! Shit! I ironically found myself in the dog house or be dismissed to the litter box. Wow! The CEO's name has potent ion for many cat puns.

"What's going on? Why is it my office is suddenly turned into a randez-vous point for the Three Musketeers?",

"Miss Grant, that's a very delicate story and…" Ms Grant pulled down her sunglasses, revealing sharp, calculating blue eyes, nothing like Kara's sparkling and hopeful eyes, which have sadly become dull and lifeless. Her blue eyes lost its distinct shine. She gave a glare that will scare any man or woman for that matter. Winn held his tongue.

"Delicate story or not Witt, and who's this gothic woman?" I looked at my clothes. OK, I like black but do I look like I'm wearing dark, smoky eyeshadow and overdone the eyeliner and mascara?

"I'm Dr Alexandra 'Alex' Danvers. My sister, Kara Danvers was visiting and we had a small incident." I explained vaguely,

"Incident? Is that the ' _delicate_ ' story Witt is on about Alison?" I sighed inwardly, I couldn't be bothered correcting her. It seems like a typical habit to purposely say people's' names incorrectly.

"Yes." I gulped,

"How so?" She asked. Then she gave us a wondering look. "Wait, don't tell me… your sister, Kiera works in the Army?" I stiffened my shoulders and there we go again with the wrong name thing.

"She does.",

"Well then, I'm actually writing an article on the awareness of PTSD. I'll be interviewing various people from accident and abuse survivors, rape victims and a soldier will top things off." She explained. She's bringing awareness of PTSD, maybe this woman isn't exactly an asshole. "I would like an interview with your sister." She said.

I was taken aback a little bit, Kara's a private person and only opens up to a few people. Myself, mom, James, Winn, Lucy and her cousin Clark. Her only known biological relative. He hasn't come to visit her, work gets in the way etc, or he makes up a plausible excuse and she's a little bit mad at him. She rarely brings him up. Of course Clark couldn't have known as well, because like Kara, he was adopted too, brought in by the Kents. He went tracing not too long ago and found my sister. They're more or less around the same age. But really, scratch him from the list. Things are very icy between her and Clark.

"Well, I'll have to ask but… my sister is at a sore point right now and… she may be reluctant to talk about her time in Syria.",

"That's OK." Ms Grant reached into her bag and pulled out a business card and gave it to me. "When she feels ready, get her to call me." I took the card, then she grabbed my wrist and brought me in close to her. "Make sure your sister gets help. PTSD can be damaging to not only those around her, but herself." She let go and propped her bag on the desk.

"Get the TVs working Witt. James, the layouts please and Lucy, I need those legal documents so I have permission to interview the line-up! Siobhán!" Her assissant came running in. "Get me a latte. Hot! Chop chop!" I rolled my eyes and left the building.

( _Scene: Outside CatCo World Wide Media, National City_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

I stepped outside, seeing Kara. I saw the taxi she called, she was leaning on the car, rubbing her sleeve. She does that when she's anxious, it is over the trigger? Note to self: keep Kara out of earshot from war games and perhaps throw in war, action and destruction films as well.

Ms Grant wants to interview Kara, I pondered on the offer, when she feels ready, maybe it wouldn't hurt to let people know her story, a story through a soldier's eyes. Everyone, young children and teenagers especially, have this romanticised view on the Army, if they read Kara's story, it may make them think differently. I don't want to discourage potential people from the American Defence Force, but to know what they'll be going through. I'll speak about it later, when Kara is her more usual self, I hope. I walked over to Kara, she stood up straight when she saw me.

"What took you so long?",

"I had a run in with the cat." I joked,

"You saw Ms Grant!?" She squeaked,

"Yeah, why?",

"Nothing. I'm sorry I caused so much… consternation." I slouched my shoulders upon hearing that.

"Kara, why are you sorry? You shouldn't be! You're the victim here!",

"And I had a trigger and relapse in public!",

"People understand and they'll just mind their own business." I checked my watch. "Come on, it's getting late, we should get back.",

"Sure." She whispered. We both got into the car, I gave the driver the address. He nodded and stepped on the accelerator.

 _Night…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

After purchasing some take-out and preparing the popcorn, Kara and I sat on the couch, in our PJs, with our food streaming our chosen movies. First choice was _Don't Breathe_ , next was Kara's: _Me Before You_ and our last pick of our 'Sister Night Out' is _The Man Who Knew Infinity_. I'm purposely keeping Kara away from any war and world destruction films in fear that she'll have a relapse like back at CatCo. Holy shit! It was bad! I've never Kara in such a vulnerable state! Alright, the hospital counts but… its just the fact she becomes a person unable to help herself. My sister needs help, she needs a counsellor, but I can't tell her that, to her face, she needs to make the move, unless it's serious.

We were nearing the end of the movie, Kara was cuddling in tight against me. The movie spooked her a little bit, but to me, it was more of a suspense/thriller than a horror. Seriously! It's a blind man who can kick ass! He's like a human version of _Daredevil_! Not a sense-enhanced hero. Finally, the movie finished and we moved to the next film, Kara's pick. As the movie progressed, we devoured through the food, popcorn and potstickers. Kara moved in closer to me, I don't mind it. She always does this, she's been doing since we were teens. An hour in, I heard the sound of heavy snoring beside me. Oh, baby sister fell asleep. Too bad we didn't get to the third movie, but after today's event, it must've tired Kara a little bit. I was afraid to move her, she looks so comfortable on the couch.

I gently moved her head off my shoulder, placing her head on the comfiest pillow I had. I grabbed a warm blanket from my bedroom and threw it over her. I smiled, knowing she's sound asleep, so I quietly went to my room, keeping the door partially open. I got into bed, letting sleep take over me.

 _Early Morning…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

I was suddenly jolted awake to sound of screaming, followed by whimpering and crying. It was like hearing a kicked puppy, but I knew better, it was Kara, not screaming like puppy, but out of pure fear. She's having a nightmare! Her PTSD is acting up again! I leaped off my bed, hurrying to my sister. Oh Lord! She was covered in beads of cold sweat, shivering almost and clutching the blanket I gave her. I approached her, placing my hand on her shoulder. I gently shook it, whispering:

"Kara! Kara! It's OK. You're having a nightmare." At that point, Kara sat up like lightening, eyes opened wide like a scared horse. Her breathing was hard and fast. She regained her senses after calming down.

"Alex?",

"I'm here. You were having a nightmare." I told her,

"I'm sorry for waking you up." I sighed, I hate it when my sister apologises for something that clearly isn't her fault! She can't tell when something isn't her fault, yet still holds herself responsible.

"Come on Kar, we walked about this, it's not your fault." I sat on the couch beside and she let out her emotions. I stroked her dirty blonde hair as she cried into my shoulder.

"They just won't stop! Every time I go to sleep, I see their faces or bodies or when I'm awake I start hearing their voices!" I froze, she's… hearing things? Like voices in her head? Oh please don't add Schizophrenia to the list! Alright! This is bad! Kara needs to see a counsellor and a psychiatrist, maybe, before it gets worse! How long has she been ' _hearing_ ' these voices?

"I'm going to make some breakfast, get into your clothes and we'll have a chat." Kara nodded silently as she got up from the couch, to her room to grab a towel etc. When I heard her going into the shower, I stood up to start breakfast, while speed dialling mom. I pulled out some pancakes, Kara usually likes them but I was afraid of doing a full English in case she wasn't in a mood to eat.

That's another thing I noticed, Kara's food consumption has decreased, despite last night. She eats her breakfast, a little bit of dinner, but she completely skips lunch and there was one occasion back at home, she refused to eat her dinner. She gave the excuse that she wasn't hungry. That was after the Funeral. Mom finally answered her phone. I sighed in relief.

 _"Hey Alex, how are you? How's Kara?"_ My heart grew heavy. How do I explain this?

"I'm good mom, but… I'm worried about Kara.",

 _"Is she OK?"_ She asks,

"Physically, yes. Mentally, no. Kara had a relapse yesterday and now, I'm just learning from her she's… hearing things, voices of her comrades. I'm not sure if it's one of the PTSD symptoms or is it just a mild stage of Schizophrenia.",

 _"Now I think Schizophrenia is a bit far fetched. It's a separate disorder to PTSD, perhaps Kara is hearing these voices because she's punishing herself. They could be a manifestation of her mind."_ I frowned,

"Are you saying Kara created these voices to punish herself for her actions? The fact she couldn't save the two Specialists?",

 _"That's all I can think of. It's the most logical explanation, though, she needs to see someone."_ ,

"Way ahead of you. I'm going to talk to her, I don't want to go doing things behind her back. Listen, I hear Kara, she doesn't know I called you, I have to go.",

 _"OK, just make sure you're there for her. Let her know she has your support and if you have any problems, call me!"_ ,

"Bye mom.",

 _"Goodbye sweetheart."_ And we hung up.

I saw Kara walk out dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt. It was a small bit tight on her, mainly because she some serious muscle. Her arms were well toned, I know in the Army they have some tough training routines. Not to mention, she still maintained her abs! Man! If I'm honest with myself, if we weren't related, I would've asked her out. OK! Gay thoughts aside! Kara sat on the chair and grabbed the plate of pancakes. My own reflexes kicked in as I took half the other pancakes and little sister gave me the most adorable pout. Damn her puppy dog face! She maybe a soldier, but that look can kill! And Kara killed me with it, more times than I can count. She still keeps the nickname _Puppy Danvers_.

"Those pancakes aren't all for you." I scolded and she just playfully stuck her tongue out. I'm still worried about her, it creeps me out how she can change her persona so quickly. One minute she's distant and the next, she's her usual self, or this is a cover up because Kara is still hurting inside? Hard to tell what's going on in her mind, I'm no psychologist! I looked up, to see Kara has devoured all her pancakes.

"Is it normal for soldiers to eat their food so quickly?",

"How about you try to do one of our daily routines! Then you'll see how hungry we get!" Kara countered,

"Max has given me a day-off. I think your Three Musketeers buddies are off as well, maybe we should meet up.",

"Sounds like a plan." She grinned. Once breakfast was finished, Kara rung Lucy to see if she wanted to see us, along with Winn and James, they all accepted. We're meeting at the park.

 _Thirty Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Park, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Alex and I crossed the road as our eyes caught our friends on the other side of the road, sitting on a park bench. We jogged over to them, crushing the three of them in a hug.

"Great to see you guys! I'm surprised Ms Grant let you all off." I grinned,

"Cat Grant has her nice days. How are after that… you know…" Lucy was faltering, but I clearly knew what she meant. The relapse I had. I sighed.

"I'll be fine, I promise.",

"You'll get through this Kar, you're not the first soldier to suffer PTSD.",

"So, how about something to eat? Shall we go to Noonans?" James asked us all,

"Yeah! They're pretty famous for their sticky buns!" Winn added. Lucy and I scoffed.

"Oh no! I'm not losing my soldier's body with all those calories! A salad is good enough for me!" Everyone laughed, but this is all an act to me. I'm still hurting inside, I'm still not eating properly, well, that has improved, but sleeping is an issue. This will never stop, or can but… I deserve this torture. I let Tsung and Donavan die. God! They must hate me, even in the Afterlife. I guess I'm better off in Hell. I was so absorbed in my own world, I didn't hear Winn.

"Kara? Earth to Kara?" I turned to him quickly, "You alright? You spaced out for a bit." I just smiled at Winn, trying to make it look genuine as possible.

"I'm fine, good, never been better." I knew Winn wanted to question it further, but he decided to drop it. Wise decision, I would've snapped at him and do something I'd regret. We all walked off, heading for Noonans.

 _Twenty Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Outside Noonans Café, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I literally glaring at James after bringing us to Noonans. He wasn't kidding they had the best sticky buns in this city. Those buns had to have at least two hundred and fifty calories a bun! But the caramel on them was so good! They also make pretty decent coffee, and tea. James noticed I was still glaring at him, like I just shot two bullets from my side-arm; a Smith and Wesson used by both Military and Police. James gave a cheeky smile.

"What?",

"I can't believe you made me eat those god damn sticky buns!",

"I told they were good!" He teased,

"Now I'll have to burn it all off!",

"Admit it Kara, I gave you some new food to love!" He said proudly and I gave him a playful punch to the shoulder, which he winced from.

"Come on Kar, I still remember the time on your last tour, you were dared by PV2 Vasquez to eat a pack of MREs. You nearly gagged!" I glared at Lucy also, I've meaning to get back at Vasquez for that dare. Next time we meet and play Truth or Dare, I'm going to make her run through a kids playground like it's an Assault Course. I had that idea in my head for ages! I maybe a rank below her, but I know how to make life hell!

"I think it's time to call it a day." Alex suddenly said, "Kara and I have to get going. Will we meet again?" Lucy, James and Winn nodded. We were about to part ways when I heard someone scream:

"CARTER!" My head jerked to the left, a car suddenly came around the bend. Everything clicked in my head as I sprinted full on towards the young boy. It all happened quickly. I picked up the young boy, diving to the hard ground, my back taking most of the impact. My shoulder screamed in agitation once again, the driver skidded to a sudden halt. I picked myself up, helping the kid to his feet.

"You alright kid?",

"Yeah." He said shakily. He's a little bit in shock, but it'll pass over. "Thank you!",

"No problem kiddo.",

"You're… you are Kara right?",

"Yes, that's me. Alex must've mentioned my name." I said to him. Our conversation was distrusted by his mother approaching him, then the driver himself. Ms Grant, I think, went to see if her son was alright, so I was left to confront the driver.

"Hey kid! You should've watched where you were running!" He yelled. Out of natural instinct, Carter hid behind his mother, who put a protective arm around him. I stood up in his defence.

"It's not his fault! You're the one who drove around the corner without warning!",

"Maybe that little runt should watch the road more carefully!" He back-answered. I could feel my anger surfacing.

"Watch your words Mr." I growled,

"Or what?" He mocked, giving me a fair shove. I was pushed a couple of steps back. He kept it up. "What are going to do? You tell me lady!" He was pushing my buttons and it's working. I'm finding it very difficult now to keep my Short Fuse under control. He tapped me again, harder this time and I just lost it! He stretched out his arm again, only for me to catch it. I twisted it sharply, as the driver screamed in pain. He was surprised at how I could possess so much strength.

Next, what I didn't see coming was a fist. He managed to land a blow with his free hand, his knuckles connecting to my stom"ch. I let out an " _oomph_ "! It caused me to let go, but I quickly recovered as I kicked your man behind the kneecap, forcing him down. I wrapped my arm around his neck, putting him in a headlock and started increasing my grip. His face was beginning to turn red and started to gag as his airways were being cut off. I didn't hear my friends yelling at me and trying to pry me off the man. The voices started again.

 ** _"Kill him!",_**

 ** _"He insulted you!",_**

 _"That's right! Let all your anger out! Then, there'll be nothing left of you and you will kill yourself!"_ Then something changed, it was dad.

 ** _"Kara, let him go!"_**

The straw was pulled. I didn't care to listen to dad's voice. The emotions that built up from my PTSD was unleashed. I was in such a rage at this man, my grip was lost on the driver and I blindly swung my arm, my backhand connecting with someone. I came to my senses and realised it was Alex I hit! She was on the ground, clutching her cheek which was starting to bruise already.

Oh God! What have I done? I hurt Alex! I hit her! What have I become!? And I nearly killed a man! I let my anger get the better of me!

I… I nearly did what the voices told me! I turned to Carter, who was hiding in fear behind Cat Grant, who had that same fear in her eyes. I'm a monster. I should've listened to Alex and got help, but no, I was being too stubborn and covered up my true emotions, the fact I am dying on the inside, with guilt and anger. That anger I let out on everyone.

Then, I heard a police car. A squad car pulled up, with two police officers inside. One of them had a pair of handcuffs on them. They began to approach me. I knew what was happening, someone rung the police and I'm being arrested for assault. I guess I deserve it though.

"NCPD." Announced the handsome brown-haired man with an unusual aqua-green eyes. Here it comes, as I sighed and accepted my punishment. "Which one of you is the instigator of the assault?",

"It's that blonde motherfucking bitch in front of you!" The driver grunted,

"Sir, please refrain from explicit language." He deadpanned, "Name please miss.",

"Danvers. Kara Danvers." I muttered, but loud enough for him to hear. He unlocked the cuffs.

"Kara Danvers you are being arrested for assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent but anything you say or do will be used against your defence. Am I clear?" He finished, as he attached the cuffs to my wrists. I nodded my head and with that, he brought me to the squad car, seating me in the back. I looked at my friends through the window, Winn and James looking at me sadly. I heard Lucy promise:

"Kara! I'll meet you at the station! I'll help you get out of this!" What saddened me even more, was Alex's sad gaze. I cou don't bear to look at her, I hurt her! God damn it! I punched her! I looked away from her and sunk into the seat. I guess I got what's coming to me. The final judgment. I don't know what Lucy has planned, but I'm just to accept my fate. I crossed the line, I finally snapped, I could hold in all the lies I've been telling my self. The acts, my usual façade, we're all fake. My PTSD has finally broke me.

* * *

 **Ch 5 wrapped up. So Kara's arrested now, Lucy is in lawyer mode now (something I will have to research now!). Can you guys guess while ye wait, who's the aqua-green eyed police officer?**

 **Hint: He lives in Central City, but I decided to give him a transfer.**

 **Just so while you guys wait. Remember: please Follow, Favourite and Review! Contructive critism much appreciated.**


	6. Healing Her Cracks Part 1

**Sorry for the long delay! I know I said there'll be six chs, but it's so long, I decided to split it. This is part 1, part 2 is still on paper. Enjoy! And yes! I untintentionally threw Karry into this! It was not planned, but they are so cute together!**

 **Note: The songs I used, I don't own. Matt Cardle's _Amazing_ and Birdy ft. RHODES _Let It All Go_ belongs to them.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Healing Her Cracks Part 1

( _Scene: Interrogation Room, National City Police Department, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

The Interview Room was cold and dark, lonely almost as I waited for the Detectives to come in and Lucy. Ironically, this is a place I'd rather hide in until my guilt consumes me. I never meant to hurt anyone, that driver, Alex. I never meant to scare anyone. Everyone says that Fate is always good, no, they are wrong. For me, Fate decided to be an ass and let me be the only survivor of the accident! Screw the other three soldiers who have a better life than I do and let me suffer the consequences! I was snapped out of my thoughts when the door opened. I looked up, it was the office who arrested me, he came in with two cups of coffee. He gave me a friendly smile, how can he be so carefree? He set my coffee on the table.

"Your lawyer is talking to the Superintendent. I got you some coffee, you need it." I didn't respond, but I kindly accepted the coffee. The officer spoke again. "My name is Barry Allen, I'm an officer as you already know. You're Kara right? My thoughts can be a bit scattered and I tend to forget things." He chuckled. I smiled slightly, there's something about this guy, he can make anyone smile in worse case scenarios

"I'm Kara. You're not from around here are you?" I asked him,

"Central City, born and raised. The brunette I saw at the park, tall, black leather jacket?",

"Alex?" I said and he nodded.

"She your sister?",

"Foster sister." I corrected,

"You're fostered? What happened to your family?" There was a heavy feeling in my chest, bringing this up after I buried it for so long. Yet, something tells me I can trust this guy, maybe he has a similar background to me. I gulped a small bit.

"You read stories about _The_ _Phantom Fire_?",

"Yeah. Terrible tragedy! A family of three, house burnt down killing the child's parents. There was nothing else on the only survivor.",

"Because my foster parents begged the tabloids and press to withhold information. I'm the survivor of the fire." Barry leaned back into seat,

"Whoa! I'm… I'm sorry! I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have asked you!" He rambled,

"It's OK. What's your story?",

"I was adopted too. My real father was jailed falsely, which I'm certain of, for the murder of my mother." He knows what it's like to lose family. I guess we can feel sorry for each other. Barry kept the conversation flowing.

"What's your job? Are you some kind of martial artist?",

"Soldier." I simply said,

"I salute you Danvers." We heard the door click open. We both looked as Lucy and the Superintendent walked in. Lucy had a bunch of files on her, I wonder what she told him. I gulped, what's my punishment? They both their seats, Lucy sat beside me. My leg twitched nervously.

"It's alright Ms Danvers, we decided not to press charges against you." I stared at him in shock. I'm not being charged!?

"Ms Lane explained to us you are suffering PTSD and the assault was caused by one the symptoms that triggered it." He explained,

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone.",

"I understand. We charged the driver for dangerous driving anyway. Back to the main point, Ms Lane has been telling me, you've been refusing to see a counsellor.",

"Maybe." I whispered, "I thought I had it under control.",

"Ms Danvers, I've seen my fellow police officers suffer with the disorder you have. It's a real bitch. There's always one thing my comrades have done, they admitted they needed help and went looking for it. You, soldier, have to do the same." The Superintendent and Barry stood up, heading for the door. "Think about what I said. There are people out there who went through the same situation. You're not the only one in that boat." And they left, leaving only myself and Lucy in the room. Lucy gathered her things and stood up.

"Come on Private, let's get you home." She smiled,

"Sure. Sergeant Major." I teased. I got up from the table, walking out of the room with Lucy, then out of the building to the car park. Lucy took out her keys, unlocking her car. I was about to step in when Barry came running out.

"Kara! Hold up!" I paused for a moment. I gave the young man a small smirk.

"What's up Barry?",

"Myself and some friends are going to Open Mic Night at the local bar, y'know, the Wanderer's Bar? I was wondering if you want to bring your friends and join us." I thought about it for a moment. I never heard of the bar, Alex might know about it, she's knows National City better than I do.

"You know, that'd be nice Barry, I'd love to." I said, giving my first genuine smile.

"Great! I'll see you tonight!" And he went jogging back into the station. I sat back into the car, only to see Lucy smiling at me and giving me 'the look'. That look screaming: ' _Alright! Spill!_ '! The first reaction I always pull is denial, but Lucy reads me like an open book! I swear she should've been a matchmaker or something like that!

"So Danvers." I swallowed my pride nervously knowing it is not easy to deny things in front of Lucy. "Who's this cute police officer that managed to make you smile?",

"His name is Officer Barry Allen.",

"Touché, you have to be so formal with the name? Kara, that boy has the hots for you!",

"No! No! Lane! There is nothing going on between myself and Barry! I just met him!" I said, countering her statement. Weakly.

"Don't lie to me Kara!" She warned, "If there was nothing going on between the two of you, then why did he ask you to join him for karaoke?",

"He was asking as a newly made friend!",

"Ah ha! You said friends! What went on in the room?" I groaned as this conversation turned into an interrogation of my love life. So far, my failed love life.

"Nothing! Jesus Lucy! We just talked about our background! We seem to have something in common!",

"Ding! The nail on the head! First step to becoming more than friends!" She grinned teasingly,

"Lucy!" I groaned, "Just get me home to Alex, before I threaten to leave dangling over Cat Grant's balcony.",

"You'll be thanking me at the end of this." She smirked. Lucy finally put the key into ignition. She pulled the handbrake and we drove off.

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

James handed me the bag of frozen peas from the freezer and wrapped it in a towel. I took the peas and carefully placed it on my swollen, bruised cheek. I winced a little bit. It's been an hour now, Kara was sent to the station, there's no news from Lucy. Winn rang Eliza, telling her what happened, she was going to get the earliest flight to National City, but he reassured her that Kara is fine and we can handle the situation. Mom reluctantly accepted, but if something like this happens again, it will be futile to stop her. Man, my mom is a force to be reckoned with, how did dad handle her!? What did he see in her? Oh well, who knows.

Poor Kara, she must be taking this real hard, especially when she backhanded me blindly. She didn't mean it, Kara would never hurt anyone in a month of Sundays. She must've hit her max with her PTSD. How she managed to keep it in, is beyond me, but look what that led to. She has to see a counsellor, there's no denying that and I hope she realises it.

"How's your cheek?" Said Winn,

"It'll be swollen for a day or two. Other than that, it's bearable." I replied,

"I dare say, Kara's got a mean backhand." He chuckled,

"Try sparing with her. I did. Kara and I had a little match of MMA vs Judo. It wasn't pretty, mom and dad had to separate us." I laughed, "Both styles were even."

"There was some Army style self-defence too." The brown-haired nerd added,

"That too. Kara will give you a run for your money, but she usually avoids fights. Despite the fact she threw me into a brick wall, and a tree.",

"Did she ever use her skills?" Asked James. I pondered his question for a bit. Ah yes, that was a memorable one. Kara and I went out to celebrate her graduation and her acceptance into the Army. It was ' _Sisters Only_ ' and we were having a few drinks.

"There was one time." I smirked. Winn and James sat down to hear the story.

( **Flashback** / _Scene: Local Bar, Midvale_ / _Alex's POV_ )

 **Kara and I walked into the local bar in Midvale. It's small, but… it's a nice little place. I managed to convince Kara to come out to this place and celebrate her graduation from High School and getting into the Army. My sister rarely drinks, though I made her agree to having one alcoholic drink, otherwise, she can stand outside the back garden and watch me burn all her books about Astro and Quantum Physics. The horror of the thought nearly made Kara shit her pants. She loved those books, many were passed on to her from Jeremiah and the others from family members, on our dad's side and she is very protective of these books.**

 **We were dressed casually, Kara in her blue jeans and a white blouse. Me, I wore my favourite black pants, a white shirt and a leather jacket. I pulled two bar stools from underneath the counter for Kara and myself and sat down. The bartender came to our service.**

 **"What would you like ladies?",**

 **"Red wine please." Kara said,**

 **"Vodka will do." The bartender nodded and went off to get our drinks. I turned to Kara as she took off her jacket, placing it on the stool.**

 **"Well, congratulations! You made it into the Army." I said to her, she responded with just a smile. Kara is not one for boasting. "You would have made dad proud.",**

 **"Yeah." She whispered, "You know, there are days where I still think about my real parents." The bartender came back with out drinks and placed them in front of us. We paused a moment to take a small sip.**

 **"Hey, Eliza and I have no issue with you thinking about them. You lost them at thirteen, that's a hard thing for any teenager to go through.",**

 **"Guess F decided to be cruel." Kara laughed bitterly.**

 **The next hour was spent talking about her parents, what they like. Reminiscing over High School, our little MMA vs Judo match outside when dad was with us. Seriously though! Kara had the wind knocked out me three times before I managed to get her in a headlock! We were both covered in bruises and limped into school with sore muscles. The teachers questioned us, we gave them an answer and then didn't press it further. Some students thought how are we even normal sisters. Well, sparring in our free time is normal. Kara only had one drink, I was after four glasses of vodkas. I felt a little tipsy and knew I had to stop, otherwise Kara would never stop berating me about the damage I'm doing to my liver.**

 **Kara signalled the bartender for the bill. She took her purse out, until four guys who were around our age approached us. They weren't drunk, but they started to flirt with us. We held our position, mentally preparing some counter-statements. One tall, muscular built guy leaned next to me, clearly invading my personal space.**

 **"Hi sweetie. You want me to buy you another drink and we can get to know each other?" I was about to answer, when Kara stepped in, a few seconds after paying.**

 **"Actually boys, we were just leaving." They turned to Kara, whistling as if she's some stereotypical dumb blonde. Kara's far from it. Now this can go two ways, they listen to my sister and back down or, they'll be talking to her fist.**

 **"So soon? We only just met blondie." The guy standing next me, I felt him put his hand on my ass. I shot up, staggering slightly, then shoving him a few steps back. This did not go unnoticed by my sister.**

 **"Yo! Hands off my sister!" She growled. Kara's first warning: growling, the first sign to step down. The lads began to gang up on us, Kara's stance shifted as she put herself in front of me. Kara actually has no other warnings that follow her first. If you don't back down after the growling, the fists go flying.**

 **"I'm warning you, back off or things will escalate pretty quickly." She warned,**

 **"Oh! Feisty are we?" I turned my head, to tell the bartender to go somewhere quiet and call the police. That was when all hell broke loose. The tall young lad placed a hand on Kara's shoulder, only to be thrown to side like a rag doll. He groaned, trying to process what happened.**

 **"Shit! Where did you learn that!?" One of them exclaimed. Well, you three are now dancing with a Grade 2 Black Belt in Judo. I wish them early punishment. The next brave soul to attack was a slightly shorter guy. He let out some fast, but terribly placed blows. Kara side-stepped them all easily, then kicking the sucker behind the kneecap, forcing him onto his knee, not enough to break it, which she can at the correctfully applied amount of force; and a painful blow to the stomach. He doubled-over in pain.**

 **The other lad who was flipped got up and he and his buddy attacked Kara at the same time, trying to get her on both fronts. My sister, being graceful as ever, effortlessly dodged them, her movements were like either air or water. She looked as if she was gliding or flowing. Soon, she managed to knock them down, not unconscious but fazed. Those guys got lucky, Kara could easily give them a KO they'll never forget. The police arrived, cuffed the lads for aggravating civilians. Kara got away free when she explained she was simply defending herself and me. She also added that she used Judo techniques that caused the least amount of injuries, which she did. Those boys will just wake up with some painful bruises.**

 **We then went home, told Eliza what happened but was glad we were alright. That was the first time I saw Kara use her skills out of self-defence. She usually avoids a fight and tries to talk people down instead, or as my instructor explained, well, it applies for both: don't go looking for a fight, use a technique and just run, make as much noise as possible. I was a special exception, if someone hurts me, Kara will go looking for blood and I will do the same. Soon enough, someone posted the video on YouTube and it became a hit. It had the following caption: ' _Blonde Kicks Ass_ '! Lol. I still have that video saved on my account. From then on, I knew I can rely on Kara to protect me, as well as me, protecting her. A win-win they say.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Winn and James were staring at me wide-eyed. They never thought Kara was such an protective badass! Winn thought she could've been the President's personal bodyguard! James thinks my sister is qualified enough to run her own business and teach kids and adults Judo. They personally took note about Kara's overprotective nature, both Winn and James would like to talk to Kara and not her fists or legs. I was trying to hold in a laugh.

"Damn! Your sister is badass!",

"I would've helped her, but… I was a tad tipsy." Then the bell rang. James walked to the door. Winn and I leaned over to see who it was. To my surprise, it was Lucy and Kara! What are they doing here! I thought they be much longer than that! I got up myself as they walked in. I dropped the frozen peas on the counter and locker Kara in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Alex. I didn't mean to hurt you.",

"Sis, I'm fine. Remember, you threw me into a wall and a tree." Kara chuckled, recalling that memory, "A swollen cheek is nothing. What about you?" I asked her. Lucy stepped in.

"Kara hasn't been charged, the driver was." I sighed in relief, did Lucy explain the assault was caused by the PTSD? I'll take that as a yes.

"Alex, I need help." I sighed internally, Kara has made the biggest step in her life: admitting she needs counselling. We're on a roll now.

"There's this counsellor I recommend. All other soldiers have been to her and found her trustworthy, understanding and helpful. I'll give you her card.",

"Thanks Lucy. Actually, call her now." She smiled, getting ready to do it, then her face changed when she realised something. Kara sharply turned and glared. My little sister was ready to pounce!

"Kara, has fallen for a cute and I dare say, handsome young police officer.",

"Lucy!" Kara growled, despite that, Lucy continued.

"They have a lot in common and he asked her to come to Open Mic Night with him and friends tonight. We can come also." She then left to ring the counsellor. I raised an eyebrow as I turned to Kara, who was shuffling nervously and giving me her best puppy-dog face.

"So little sis, who is the guy that shot Cupid's arrow into your heart?",

"H- his name is Barry Allen." Kara stuttered. Open Mic Night, interesting. Kara is a really good singer, though it's a talent she likes to hide. Give her a song from any year, decade, century, she'll nail it! I decided not to push Kara with too many questions on lover boy cop. She is bringing bringing us tonight, so I have a chance to meet him and if what Lucy says is true, I'll have to give the young sucker my ' _big sister_ ' talk. In Kara's translation: threaten the lad. It's no lie, I could easily ask Winn to hack into files about any boy Kara hangs out with or the fact they're getting too close for comfort.

"You guys can come anyway because I don't want to be alone tonight." Kara added. I turned to see Lucy exiting the guest bedroom, AKA: Kara's room. She was putting her phone into her pocket.

"I called the counsellor, her name is Rachel O'Hara, she set a date for tomorrow morning." She explained to myself and Kara, who must nodded. "So, who's ready for karaoke tonight?",

"Once I get a few drinks, it fine by me." I smiled. Winn and James just nodded. Time to have some fun and meet this Barry Allen.

 _Night…_

(Scene: The Wanderer's Bar, National City/ _Kara's POV_ )

Myself and the gang stepped into the bar. We were all dressed casually. Alex, Winn, James and Lucy in their usual clothes, I was dressed in my jeans and threw on a dark-green short-sleeved shirt, with my name printed on the back of it. It was a gift by Alex before I left go to the barracks. The music and the loud noise startled me a little bit, the noise of the drums was threatening to trigger my PTSD. I was using all my willpower to keep flashbacks from playing in my mind, the voices were trying to surface too. Alex noticed this and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, so did Lucy, placing her hand on my back. I calmed down, nodding to them to say ' _I'm fine_ '.

I diverted my attention to looking for Barry in the crowd. Eventually, my caught him at the far end. I signalled the others to follow me. I lead them to Barry and his gang. We were met by two women and two men. Barry gave me a bright cheery smile, reaching out his hand. I accepted, only to receive a very enthusiastic handshake. I shook hands with his other pals and my gang did the same.

"So, we gonna introduce each other?" I said, smiling. Barry turned and pointed to his friends.

"OK, so these guys, are my friends: Iris West, Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon and my on-the-job partner: Joe West." We all waved. Our turn now.

"Alright, this is my sister Alexandra 'Alex' Danvers, next to her is Lucy Lane, James Olsen and Winslow 'Winn' Schott." Iris was first to speak.

"Now Kara, Alex, I hope I don't offend you two but… you're not exactly… related, nor share similar features. Are you really sisters?" Alex and I just looked at each and we both smiled, clearly not offended by her statement.

"It's cool Iris. Alex is my foster sister." Then everything seemed to click for Iris. Is she an investigative reporter?

"Wait! You're… the girl who survived _The_ _Phantom Fire_!" My body language stiffened and Iris read me like a book and stepped down, knowing she's threading on icy thin water. Barry was glaring behind her, but I guess he'll forgive her. Our gang stood aside to get acquainted with with each other, so that just left myself and Barry in each other's company. What can go wrong? I survived being the Interrogation Room with him, a night shouldn't be difficult. Barry offered to get me a drink and I said yes. He soon came back with a coke for myself and him. I kind if told him I don't drink.

"So uh… what are your hobbies?" He asked me. Great starter question Allen.

"Well, I like reading, particularly on Physics and Quantum Physics, but I do like Classical Civilisation. I sketch and paint when I get the chance and um… I like sports.",

"Whoa! You're like super smart and fit! So why did you join the Army? You could've taken a career in teaching.",

"I like to help people and make the world a better and safer place. I also wanted to follow in my foster father's footsteps. He was Captain in the Army.",

"Wow! Also, I should mention Kara, that I put you on the list to sing a song and with me after my solo." I nearly spit my drink hearing that! Did Barry just out me on the list! Oh why me? I haven't sung in ages! Yet Alex still tells me I'm a natural. I sighed in defeat.

"Remind me to deck you later." He winked at me in a teasing manner. Soon enough, my name was called out to step on stage. I took a deep breath, before walking up to the stage. I took the microphone and said:

"I'm going to sing something that subtly tells you all a little something about me. This is Matt Cardle's _Amazing_." The band instantly recognised the song title but only the acoustic guitarist began to play the intro of the song. I waited, after the last note, I sang the first verses.

 _"I had to look inside_

 _This fragile heart of mine_

 _To find exactly what it was you saw._

 _I had to put myself back in the firing line_

 _To take the shot that knocked me to the floor._

 _I was down, losing faith, oh I was lost in the crowd_

 _You brought me round._

 _How did you find me?_

 _You came out of nowhere like lightening,_

 _It's kind of amazing how you found me,_

 _Through all the noise somehow._

 _I was pulling empty pales_

 _Out of the wishing well,_

 _Only holy water breaks the spell._

 _I had to pinch myself_

 _'Cause I knew all too well,_

 _The stairway to heaven oh it starts in hell._

 _I was down, but somehow an angel heard my sound_

 _And brought me round._

 _How did you find me?_

 _You came out of nowhere like lightening,_

 _It's kind of amazing how you found me_

 _Through all the noise somehow._

 _How did you see me?_

 _Broke through the darkness and you reached me,_

 _It's kind of amazing how you found me_

 _Through all the strangers somehow._

 _Faith and a little patience for this heart of mine_

 _Though I would stay here waiting for the end of time._

 _How did you find me?_

 _You came out of nowhere like lightening,_

 _It's kind of amazing how you found me_

 _Through all the noise somehow._

 _How did you see me?_

 _Broke through the darkness and you reached me,_

 _It's kind of amazing how you found me_

 _Through all the strangers somehow._

 _Through all the strangers somehow, somehow."_

The guitarist finished strumming his guitar, it was quickly met by applause from the audience, my friends, Barry's group and the audience. Soon, it was Barry's turn. We swapped places and he began to sing a little more cheerier song. Oh well, I was subtly telling a story about myself, but because people pay more attention to the singer and how he or she sings, they hardly read between the lines. Barry finished his song and waved his hand to tell me to come up. I'm definitely going to deck you Barry! But my heart was feeling a bit… light and strange. Oh god! Maybe I do have a crush on Allen! I stood up on stage next to Barry, he picked the song himself. It was _Let It All Go_ by Birdy and RHODES. We both got ready and the band began to play. Once the intro was nearing the end, I started off the song.

 _(Kara)_

 _"I've been sleepless at night_

 _'Cause I don't know how I feel._

 _I've been waiting on you_

 _Just to say something real._

 _There's a light on the road_

 _And I think you know,_

 _Morning has come_

 _And I have to go."_

 _(Barry)_

 _"I don't know why, I don't know why,_

 _We need to break so hard_

 _I don't know why we break so hard."_

 _(Kara and Barry)_

 _"But if we're strong enough_

 _To let it in._

 _We're strong enough_

 _To let it go._

 _Let it all go, let it all go,_

 _Let it all out now."_

 _(Barry)_

 _"If I look back to the start now_

 _I know, I see everything true._

 _There's still a fire in my heart, my darling_

 _But I'm not burning for you._

 _We started it wrong_

 _And I think you know._

 _We waited too long_

 _Now I have to go."_

Why are singing a break-up song? We never dated, unless… Barry dated someone before and he or his girlfriend broke it off. That's his reason for picking it. Then for me, he wants me to let go of the guilt that is consuming me, or I let it grow. I still blame myself for things that could've gone differently in Syria. Did he see how easily I am breaking? Soon, it was my turn to sing.

 _(Kara)_

 _"I don't know why, I don't know why,_

 _We need to break so hard._

 _I don't know why we break so hard."_

 _(Kara and Barry)_

 _"But if we're strong enough_

 _To let it in._

 _We're strong enough_

 _To let it go._

 _Let it all go, let it all go,_

 _Let it all out now."_

 _(Kara)_

 _"Who says, who says?_

 _Who says, who says?_

 _Who says truth is beauty after all?_

 _And who says love should break us when we fall?"_

Then Barry let me sing the pre-chorus.

 _(Kara)_

 _"But if we're strong enough_

 _To let it in._

 _We're strong enough_

 _To let it go."_

He then sung the chorus.

 _(Barry)_

 _"Let it all go, let it all go,_

 _Let it all out now."_

Then we both sang the last line, hitting the notes perfectly in sync and in harmony.

 _(Kara and Barry)_

 _"We're strong enough_

 _To let it go."_

Once more, we received a similar response by the audience like when I sang solo. This is actually a nice stress-reliever. I might find myself coming back often. Barry and I placed the microphones back into the holder. We both walked off stage and headed for the others. They were all looking at us in shock.

"Damn Kara! You can sure sing!" Cisco exclaimed,

"Um… thanks?" It came out more like a question than accepting a compliment. I felt my cheeks get hot. We were bonding quite well, Barry and I have so much in common. Alex, Lucy and Caitlin were getting on well. James and Iris were talking about photography, despite the fact she's an investigative reporter, sometimes her job demands photographic evidence. Then there's Winn and Cisco geeking out over technology and graphic novels.

Barry and I talked, laughed, he made me smile, something I haven't done since the accident, otherwise, I just pull a smile, but it feels fake. I like Barry, but I don't want to get into a relationship with him too quickly, I mean, he broke up with someone and he has to deal with me, who's suffering PTSD. I don't want to strain him. Unbeknownst to us, we were being talked about.

( _Alexandra's POV_ )

Lucy, Caitlin and I stared at the duo over there at the table. My sister and her new friend Barry were talking like they've known each other. Thankfully I can read my sister like an open book! And Caitlin can read Barry too. Lucy can tell a mile away they like each other, but they're dancing around each other. One of them is holding back and no doubt it's Kara. Lucy leaned close to myself and Caitlin. We were all hitting off quite well, I'm glad Kara brought us here. New friends to the list, good for Kara, as she spends way too much time with myself, Winn, James and Lucy. She needs to widen her circle a little.

"They are so cute, but what frustrates me is Kara is holding back! Barry is all out for her!" Our lawyer friend groans,

"I can see that, your sister is pulling up some walls." Caitlin added,

"Along with barbed wire at the top." I chuckled, "Alright, I get your point you two, Kara tends to reserve herself.",

"Well, she needs to unreserve herself before some other female loser takes him!" Lucy hissed,

"Can I add something? But I don't want to sound too insensitive about this." Said Caitlin,

"Shoot." I told her,

"Your sister, Kara, she looks like she's been through a lot, saw something she wishes she didn't see. There's this look in her eyes, I can tell they are usually ones to shine but… they seem dull. I did see that glow for a moment when she sang with Barry but it's gone now. It's either gone or flickering." Damn! Caitlin is really deep about this! She's right on one hand, what everyone loves about Kara, is that little glow in her bright blue eyes, like mirrors or really well polished sapphire. But since Syria, the accident, that shine is gone, my sister looks dead.

"We need to get them together." Lucy said with determination, "We can work it out while Kara receives counselling.",

"What?",

"We'll explain later Caitlin." And she just nodded.

"For once I agree with you Luce, those two will need a fair push." I stopped to sip my whiskey,

"Not just a push, a shove. A mighty hard one. They both have stubborn qualities." The scientist from Mercury Labs said, "Time to get Supergirl and Flash together." We both stared at her, confused, in return, she just shrugged.

"Fine! The name is fitting, though it's a bit cringy." Said Lucy, raising her arms in surrender.

"So, Barry is a fast runner. Fastest in his Athletics Team when he was in college.",

"And Kara is the strongest and fittest in general." I sighed,

"You two win! Points proven! So what do we do to get lovebirds together?" Lucy and Caitlin smiled, it worried me a little. What did I just get myself involved in?

"Welcome to the team Agent Danvers." Lucy quipped. I rolled my eyes. "This is our mission. You in Agent Snow?" Caitlin just laughed at where is this going. Lucy continued as she's now in Sergeant Major mode, " _Operation: SuperFlash_ is now activated!" Oh boy, this will be a long night and… whatever Lucy and Caitlin have in store. Hopefully Barry and Kara won't kill us, though Kara could shoot us before he chases us. Please kill me, before my sister does!

* * *

 **And that's wrap! Don't know when I'll upload Ch 7. Stay tuned!**


	7. Healing Her Cracks Part 2

**OK, this final ch is dragging out a bit! Part 3 is currently underway, so I hope you enjoy Part 2 of _Healing Her Cracks_.**

 **Forgive me for the dialogue ratio, there is a lot of talk!**

 **Note: I don't own _I Am The Fire_ \- Halestorm. It belongs to them and only them. The use of this song, is entertainment purposes. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Healing Her Cracks Part 2

 _Morning…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I woke up hearing the blaring sound of the alarm clock next to me, on the bedside table. I reached out with my hand and hit the ' _Snooze_ ' button, stopping the beeping. I laid back on the pillow. I'm meeting this Rachel O'Hara today, my counsellor. Lucy recommends her, is she really that understanding? Will she understand the demons I'm facing right now? I feel a little more awake than I usually am, for one night I didn't have a nightmare! Maybe the thought of Barry pushed it away? Alright! That's it! I really do like him! But surely, the night at the bar, Open Mic Night, he saw I was pulling up some barriers.

I wasn't lying when I said to Lucy yesterday, I had a couple of bad dates. Alex was pretty worried about my love life and set up a few blind dates. When I say a few, that means five or six of them. The first three went down the drain in an instant, fourth and fifth I refuse to speak about. They weren't expecting to date a soldier. Sexist assholes thought the Army is a man's job, well hello! Times are changing! More women are joining in most fields of the military, too bad Special Forces still aren't opening up their services to them, but I'm not going to go into that debate.

My last one actually, the sixth, went a tad bit further than the last five, only to realise how much of a jerk he was. I brought him with me to introduce him to Alex, my sister. Thankfully mom wasn't there, I was planning on her meeting him later, usually the parents are scary, but Alex brings that to a whole new level, so I she was first priority. I thought he and I were perfect for each other, hell! I opened up to him about my past, losing my parents, _The Phantom Fire_ , being an orphan at thirteen! I trusted him! He then made a smart but hurtful comment, I refuse to repeat. I lost all control of my Short Fuse, before he processed anything, I had him pinned to the wall, slammed with much force, it rattled some of the items on the table.

Alex walked in, seeing the situation, she started demanding to let him go. I did, but she knew better. She knows I rarely lose control of my anger, with the exception that a hurtful or cruel remark is made about my background or parents. This guy ticked all the dangerous boxes. Alex made him leave and threatened that if she sees him again, she will knock a few teeth out of him and give him a concussion he'll never (actually will) forget. From then on, I thought I'd be forever single.

I dragged myself out of bed and walked out of the room to find Alex making breakfast. More pancakes and some fruit, substantial enough for me, but of course, I may have been starving myself a small bit back home. I lost my appetite on a couple of occasions, skipping lunch, refusing to eat dinner and going to bed ignoring the constant growls of my stomach. Eventually though, I managed to get it under control, I started to eat properly, even when I eat portions that are smaller than normal. Alex clearly noticed it, I saw her out of the corner of my eye, sighing in relief. As I said, that was back home and I have my eating habits under control.

"You're up early." She commented, handing me a cup of freshly made coffee.

"I'm surprised you're not dying of a headache from a hangover." I countered,

"I had to make a good impression in front of your new friends, especially when you're hanging out with that Barry Allen guy." I choked on my coffee. Once I regained control of my breathing, Alex handed me a plate of pancakes.

"OK Alex, you proved your point, I like Barry.",

"Then why were you so reserved? I could see the walls and barbed wire you put up. It clearly screamed ' _Don't come any closer_ '!" She questioned and slightly exaggerated her argument, taking a bite out of a piece of an apple, then moved onto her own pancakes. Great, who's worse? Alex or Lucy? Wait, it's both! They're equally bad as each other! "Kara, Barry was all out for you, plus, he's well aware with what you are going through.",

"After what happened, I'm afraid to hurt him, like I hurt you. Not just physically, I'm scared that the psychological damage done to me will break him." I explained to her,

"And that is going to happen, unless you take down those barriers and open up to him properly." I sighed as I went back to finishing breakfast. Alex glanced at the clock, then realising what time it is. "Shoot! You have to meet your counsellor today!"

I clapped in a sarcastic manner, which only pissed her off, though it amused me.

"I hate you." She muttered. In ten mintues, we were ready and dressed. Alex grabbed the piece of paper that Lucy gave to her, the address. She grabbed her keys and we left the building.

 _Twenty Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Rachel O'Hara's House, Outside National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

After a twenty minute drive, the address Lucy gave us led to the suburbs just outside National City. It is a nice, quiet place, open fields, clean air, the sound of the odd car passing by, until Rush Hour hits. Alex pulled the car up into the drive, then pulled the handbrake. She looks at the piece of paper again to make sure we have the right location. Weird, what kind of counsellor likes to work from home? Usually they're in an office building, shared with one or two smaller businesses or Solictors.

"She works from home?" Alex commented, "This is new." She stepped out of the car, I followed, walking up to the front door. I rung the doorbell, a few seconds later, it opened. We faced a young women, slightly older than me, she's well into her late-twenties or early thirties. I dare say, she's pretty looking.

"I'm Alex Danvers." My sister greeted. They shook hands, she then pointed to me. "This is my younger sister Kara." I smiled slightly, then shook her hand also.

"Rachel O'Hara. You're the one Lucy told me about over the phone." I sighed,

"Yeah. That's me.",

"Don't worry Kara, you're not the first shellshocked person I met in my career." She seems friendly enough, no wonder Lucy trusts her.

"How long will you two be?",

"I actually leave that to my client. We could be here for an hour, maybe longer. You can have some tea while you wait." Rachel offered,

"I'll actually head." She replied, pointing to her car, "Take your time, give me a ring when you're ready sis." We locked in a hug. Alex got into her car and drove off. Rachel welcomed me into her house, then led me to the sitting room. I sat down on the couch. Everything just seems to click, no wonder she prefers to work from home! It's more comforting and relaxed than being stuck in an office.

Rachel came with some tea. I thanked her as I took the cup. I began looking around, she has a nice selection of books, good taste. The room was nicely furnished, yet nothing fancy, in your face like.

"You like the room?" Rachel asked me, as she sat down.

"Yeah, it's a lovely, nicely decorated. You have good taste." My gaze turned to the photos on the wall. Most of them of her family, her graduation, family gatherings. Then my heart felt like it weighed a tonne. I began to shake, hearing the sounds of the bomb again. The picture in front of me, on the wall, was photo of Rachel and her boyfriend: Specialist Donanvan. The look on his face, he was so happy, Rachel was the light of his world. He loved her dearly.

 ** _"I'm going to propose to Rachel."_** Donavan's voice rung in my head. No please! Not again! Oh my god! Rachel, my counsellor, she's his fiancé! Now look what I did because of my poor reflexes, I made her lose her chance to marry the man she loves. I took Donavan away from her! I didn't realise my hands were trembling, then my whole body. My grip suddenly loosened, making the ceramic cup fall to the wooden floor, shattering into pieces, like my life is right now. I felt beads of sweat on the side of my forehead, my breathing became fast, hard and shallow.

"Kara, what's wrong?" I didn't hear her talk to me. I have to get out here, I can't be here! Lucy made a mistake bringing me to her. My Fight or Flight reaction kicked in. Flight it was, I shot up like bullet, knocking over the coffee table, but Rachel made me sit down, using all her strength to keep me from running. I tried to fight her grip, but I couldn't. I was weak.

"No! No!" I muttered,

"I need you to calm down Kara." She soothed, "Control your breathing." I listened to her. My breathing went back to normal slightly, the trembling stopped, all what was left were the tears. Rachel put the coffee table back to its original position, then picking up the items. She left for a moment to clean up the cup fragments. Ten minutes passed, everything was kind of back to normal. I didn't dare look at that photo, I couldn't bear to look at my comrade's face. Realising what triggered my panic attack, she took the photo off the wall and placed it face down. That's, somewhat better.

"I'm sorry." I said,

"What are you sorry for Kara?" She questioned, slightly confused by my statement, taking her seat again.

"I'm sorry I made you lose Donavan." I finally broke down when I told her. It felt like a massive weight has been taken off me, but I still feel uneasy. Rachel just leaned forward, putting her hand on mine.

"Can you tell me what happened? There's no rush, if you don't feel ready, I can-",

"No! You deserve to know." I closed my eyes, bringing myself back to Syria, the moment of the accident, or just minutes before it.

( **Flashback** / _Scene: Desert, Syria, Europe_ / _Kara's POV_ )

 **I was in the back of the truck talking to Specialists Tsung and Donavan. We really became close friends, we acted like siblings. They treated me like a younger sister, but respected I'm an independent woman, capable of taking care of myself. We were telling stories of home, more like embarrassing tales. I was in the middle of telling mine. This is just to kill the time as we were dropping off supplies to Base Eagle Nine-Six, approximately fifteen miles from us, a good four and a half hour drive. We weren't the only truck, we were part of a convoy, First Lieutenant Reynolds was leading it. We were the lead truck.**

 **"After my sister let out a punch in a last ditch effort to get at least one blow on me. I grabbed her wrist only to send her flying into the tree in our back garden!" Tsung and Donavan all burst out laughing. We laughed till we had tears in ours eyes.**

 **"I can't believe you threw your sister into a tree! I'm surprised she didn't break a bone!" Tsung managed to say through his laugh,**

 **"She must be made of steel! The Danvers Duo are tough cookies to crack." That's the title Donavan made up for myself and Alex. "Being flung into a tree is better than my girlfriend putting two tubes worth of toothpaste in my boxers!" We only pissed ourselves even more.**

 **"Wait, wait, toothpaste is a very mild base, but wouldn't you have felt a slight burning sensation?" I asked him, mildly confused.**

 **"Maybe his balls are tougher than they look. Maybe it's from doing it" Tsung chuckled. I groaned, covering my ears. I did not hear that! I didn't not hear that! Why do you have to be so dirty minded Tsung! I looked at Donavan who was bright red, the shade was close enough to the Chinese flag!**

 **"You, did not just make a reference to my sex life!?",**

 **"Maybe." He laughed,**

 **"You have forever scarred me Tsung. I'm so getting you in our next game of paintball when we get home.",**

 **"Wow, Vasquez wasn't kidding about how innocent you are." Donavan stifled through a laugh,**

 **"Yet she can beat up a guy any day." Chuckled Tsung,**

 **"Remind me to kill Vasquez when we get back to Base Alpha Seven." We were really like siblings. Day One when I joined the army, there was this guy who wouldn't leave me alone. He tried to ask me out on a date numerous times, it went so far he started to bully me a bit. That was when I met Tsung, he stood up for me, only to be then introduced to his friend Donavan. We clicked instantly, I could always turn to them if I had trouble.**

 **"I want to say something." We turned to Donavan,**

 **"What is it?",**

 **"I'm going to propose to Rachel, when we return home." We both patted him on the shoulder and arm.**

 **"Dude! That's great! You and Rachel are perfect for each other! Also, I'm going ask Michelle to move in with me. I think she waited long enough.",**

 **"Make you move then." I encouraged,**

 **"I'm really happy for you two.",**

 **"You'll find the man of your dreams." Donavan encouraged. Suddenly, I was thrown out of the truck, I felt intense, searing heat against my back. I didn't have the reaction time to grab my comrades. I couldn't process anything! I blacked out before I hit the ground.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

"And that's what happened." I said, my voice shaky, "They died, Tsung and Donavan, because I wasn't fast enough." Rachel's face was full of sorrow, she must be thinking I'm some unique case. I was the last one to see her boyfriend. "I know you hate me, you have every right to.",

"Kara," She soothed, "I don't hate you. Yes, I'm angry that my fiancé left me, but I learned to forgive with time. I'm not dwelling on the past, which you are. You blame yourself for something you couldn't have prevented.",

"I should've said all of this to you at the funeral, but I couldn't approach you or his family. I just ran and because of that, I hate myself, I hear their voices in my head." Rachel frowned, this is something she has not heard of before.

"You're… hearing Jason's voice?" I'm guessing that's his first name since I always had a habit of addressing him by his last. So I always knew him as Donavan.

"Kara, I need you to be honest with me, I know this isn't Schizophrenia, but; have these voices given you thoughts?" I gulped at the question, some of them bad, others that will scare Alex and Eliza, my friends. I wanted to lie, just to cover it up, but she's here to help me get through this. I can't lie to her face, not here, not now. I took a deep breath, preparing my answer.

"The thoughts from the voices have been malicious, most of the time, they tell me to do something suicidal." My counsellor sharply inhaled, she now knows the seriousness of my situation.

"When did these voices start?" I tried to think, man, it was a good few weeks ago. I thought long and hard, they started when I ran off back home. They weren't that bad then, just their last thoughts. Then the funeral! That's when they got bad.

"They weren't bad at the time back home, though since the funeral, they became dark and as I said before, they began telling me to just kill myself. I nearly given in, I wanted the pain to end so bad!" My own voice started to become shaky. Rachel placed a firm hand on my shoulder, giving me a hard stare.

"Listen to me Kara, whatever you do, you do not listen to those voices. The echoes of your comrades, my fiancé, they're not real. He would not think so lowly of you. You blamed yourself so hard their deaths, feeling almost responsible. You gave your mind no choice but to create these voices to punish yourself further.",

"You're saying there just a manifestation of my mind? I created them?",

"Kara, I know you're angry, not just with Tsung and Jason. You need to let go of the anger, find the source of it and release it. I see there's something else buried deep down and it's not a good idea to bury it. The longer it's bottled, the nigger the explosion." She's right, _The Phantom Fire_. I am also guilty for keeping my anger buried deep within me. I thought it would help, it is doing the exact opposite. "Did you know Mr Allen was one of my clients?" She asked me, changing the subject. Wait! She knows Barry!?

"Barry you mean?",

"You met him?" Rachel questioned, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, he arrested me and invited me to Open Mic Night, in The Wanderer's Bar." Then something clicked for her, what did she realise now?

"You said Open Mic Night, as in karaoke?" I nodded to her. "You sing?",

"Yeah, not as often as I use to.",

"Keep it up." I frowned,

"Excuse me?",

"Keep it up." Rachel repeated, "Did you feel any sense of release when you sang?",

"When I sing a song that has meaning to me, I feel like the whole world is being lifted off my shoulder." I explained,

"Continue going to Open Mic Night. I think it's doing you good.",

"I'll have ask Barry when it's on." I told her. Maybe she's right, I have some pent up anger, anger I thought I released. Perhaps I didn't realise how deep rooted it is. I can ask Lucy or Alex if they can spar with me, but I don't want to hurt them when I release my anger. I think one of them have a punch bag. I looked at my watch, wow! It's late already, Rachel wasn't kidding she let's her clients decide how long they want to stay. She must have great patience. I admire her determination to just listen to people's problems.

"It's late, I'll call Alex." In two mintues, Alex picked and said she'll be there in a couple minutes.

"If you want to, you can come down again." Rachel offered,

"I guess that wouldn't hurt. You are helping me. What day will suit you?",

"I was more thinking would you like to meet for coffee?" I gave it some thought,

"That'd be nice. There's a nice park with a couple of benches.",

"Consider it planned. Will 1400 hours do? Wednesday OK?" I chuckled,

"Don't start with military time. It took mom and Alex weeks to break me out of it after my first tour. And yeah, Wednesday is good.",

"I blame Jason." Then the doorbell rang, must be Alex. I started to walk out, then Rachel called out to me. "And Kara, I'm not angry with you. Thank you for telling me." I smiled slightly as I led myself out.

"Bye Rachel!",

"See you Kara!" I met Alex at the door and we stepped into the car.

 _Next Day…_

( _Scene: National City MMA Club, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I took Rachel's advice on board, I asked Alex if we could go spar or something. She knew I needed to blow some steam off, I didn't want to hurt her when my temper sky rockets, so we resorted to using punching bags instead. I sat on the bench, wrapping my knuckles so I wouldn't split them. I then put on a pair of gloves, not boxing gloves. These one had openings to allow movement for my fingers and thick padding along my knuckles. Alex approached me, I saw she had the gear set up.

"Ready to burn off steam?",

"You have no idea." I replied. I stood up, it's kind of funny that I slightly tower over Alex. I'm 5ft 8", while she's only 5ft 6", only two inches between us. She finds it irritating but, I like to make fun of it. Sisterly love. We walked over the punching bag.

"Alright, I'll hold the bag in place while you just… say what makes you angry and let it rip!" I got into a typical Judo stance and raised my fists. Alex stood behind the punching bag so don't end up toppling the equipment over. I took a deep breath.

"I hate myself for letting Tsung and Donavan die!" I let out two punches, striking the bag. Alex nodded, thinking this is good and keep going, so I did. "I can't stand Lucy's father! General Samuel 'Sam' fucking Lane! Every inspection, he always downgraded me! Like I'm not good enough for him!" Another hit. I felt my temper increasing, I felt like I'm going to explode! "I hate the peers from High School, who picked on me for just being smart!" _Strike!_ "I hate the person who started the fire! I hate the fact he was never caught! I hate that the police let the case go cold!" Four more strikes! I didn't even notice Alex giving me worried stares.

"Kara!" I didn't listen to her. I delved deeper into my anger, I think I'm getting closer to the source of it.

"I hate him for causing so much pain in my life!" I punched harder than normal. Alex was struggling to keep the bag upright.

"Kara!",

"I am fucking furious with my so-call cousin Clark Kent, he always put off our arrangements." More punches, even harder struck the bag. I didn't care to hear Alex grunt with each impact. "And I god damn hate my parents for leaving me! Knowing well after it! My life would never be normal!" I yelled, then letting out one final, stronger than normal fist. Knowing it was coming, Alex had to move because she knew, she wouldn't withstand the force. My fist made contact with the punching bag and I sent it toppling. It fell to the floor, filling the sound with a loud ' _thud_ ' as leather met leather.

I fell to the mat and cried, clutching my head. I never knew I had so much anger inside me. I thought I let it all out about a year ago. No, I only buried it, now it's coming back to bite me. Now I know, anger is meant to released, not buried, otherwise, the explosion from it will be bigger. Rachel is right. Alex sat down next to me.

"Little sis, I know you feel hurt, but surely you're not that angry at your biological parents." She soothed,

"They left me!" I cried, "There was time, they could've saved themselves! Or I should have died with them!",

"Don't speak like that!" Alex scolded, "Your parents bravely gave their life for you! Any parent would do that! Look what that led to! Your parents gave me the best younger sister in the world and mom and dad got another daughter to care for!" I chuckled lightly,

"I knew the second they pushed me out that window, the life I had, just burned with them. Why two souls were given up for one! And it makes me so… mad!",

"That's not true! Because the life you had with them are still alive in the drawings and paintings you did! You still hold those memories and they said they'll be there with you, forever in your dreams." I felt her hug me and tightly.

"I wish I could see them again." I whimpered, "I miss them so much!",

"It's going to be OK, at least you let it all out." I felt Alex's hand stroke my hair. "Come on, let's get back to my place, get cleaned up. I forgot to mention-" My sister's voice trailed off. I looked at her with a little concern.

"What?",

"I was going to tell you earlier, but with the way you were then, I couldn't put you through it. Ms Grant wants to interview you. She's writing an article on the awareness of PTSD and she's talking to people who experienced it. Think about it." Alex helped me up, we cleaned up the training room, grabbed our gear and left the building.

 _Fifteen Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I stepped out of the shower, placing a towel over me, I quickly legged it to my bedroom. Cat Grant wants to interview me. Whoa! That's kind of a big deal. Maybe I can use it to get my story across to people, I think they deserve to know more about _The Phantom Fire_. I've been hiding long enough, it's time to come out of the shadows, I'm not afraid of my past anymore, at least one part of it. I'm still not at ease with what happened in Syria. From what I can assume, Cat wants to know two things from me, what caused my PTSD; she wants to learn the truth about _The Phantom Fire_ and my time in Syria.

Alex has her business card, said I can ring Cat Grant when I'm ready. I think this is the time. Once I was dressed, I left my room, saw Alex on the couch doing some work. I went through her bag, searching for the card, I found it and pulled out my phone. I hope Ms Grant isn't busy, but she's probably been waiting to talk to me since I saved her son from being run over by a car. I dialled the number into my phone and waited. Someone replied.

 _"Siobhán Smythe, Ms Grant's personal assistant. How may I help you?"_ Something tells me she's not from America. There is a hint of an Irish accent in there. So definitely Ireland, a small country on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

"Hey, I'm looking for Ms Grant?",

 _"Stay on line and I'll get her for you."_ A few seconds passed.

 _"Hello?"_ Cat's voice was smooth, yet there was something authoritative and commanding about it. Well no wonder, she has some form of control, she built her freaking media empire from scratch! I must say, I admire her and raising a son on top of that.

"Ms Grant, it's Kara Danvers. Alex may have mentioned me.",

 _"Ah yes, I remember. About time you got back to me."_ Whoa! Or I should say _meow_! She sure is snarky. _"I take it you're interested in being interviewed?"_ ,

"Yes." I simply answered,

 _"How quickly can you get here?"_ ,

"Twenty minutes?" My answer somewhat came out more like a question.

 _"Make it fifteen. I'll see you today."_ And she hung up. Damn! I feel sorry for the people who work close to her. She sure is a demanding woman, but I sense there's something motherly about her when she's with Carter. That reminds me, I have to ring Barry about Open Mic Night at the Wanderer's Bar. I grabbed my purse as I headed to the door.

"Alex! I heading to CatCo for an interview." Alex shot up,

"I'm coming with you." There's no arguing about that and we both left the apartment, calling a taxi for CatCo.

 _Ten Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: CatCo World Wide Media, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

We reached the building, made our way to the public elevator and I hit the button for the fortieth floor. When we got there, we stepped out. Winn, James and Lucy walked over to us.

"Hey! Ms Grant's on the balcony, waiting for you. You're early! That's good also." He rambled. I chuckled a little bit. I told them to keep Alex company while Ms Grant spoke to me. I walked to her office, then turned, seeing her sitting down on a good quality chair on the balcony. I went over to her. I stopped just outside and coughed to get her attention. She turned to me.

"Kara, please sit!" I smiled awkwardly, well knowing I'm sitting before the _Queen of All Media_. Before I had a chance to sit, I heard someone calling me.

"Kara!" I twirled around to see Cat Grant's son sprinting up to me. Wow! After all this time, he still remembers me! Of course he couldn't! I saved his life. Carter I think? Locked me in a tight hug.

"Nice to meet you too Carter correct?" I grinned,

"Yup. I haven't seen you since forever! Mom! Why didn't you tell me Kara's coming?",

"It was last minute planning." Ms Grant answered. Her voice was slightly different when she spoke to her son. It was kind and caring, not snappy and sarcastic. Guess you got to keep up appearances.

"Mom, can I stay while you interview Kara." I stiffened a little,

"Why don't you hang out with Winn and the others? My story isn't exactly child-friendly." Carter just shrugged,

"That's OK, I'll be sure to get first copy of your story from mom!" I laughed,

"You will son. Now scoot!" And he left us. I closed the door balcony to give us some privacy. I finally took my seat across from Ms Grant.

"You have a wonderful son." I said to her,

"Thank you. Now Kara, shall we get underway? You don't mind if I record this?" I shook my head. Ms Grant well knows she has to be very careful with her questions, otherwise, well, I'll just get angry and punch something or simply storm out. The interview began, as soon as Ms Grant pushed the ' _Record_ ' button.

"It's lovely to meet you Kara Danvers. Let's start off with telling me more about yourself." Not a bad question, this is just to get me comfortable into until we get into the dark, nitty-gritty stuff.

"Well. My name, as you already know, is Kara Danvers. I'm a soldier in the Army. I live in Midvale with my sister and mother. My father died a while back. He worked in the Army too.",

"Interesting. How old were you when you signed up?",

"I was eighteen, turning nineteen.",

"You've been working for about five years approx?",

"Yes. Five years, still a Private, but I'll eventually work my way up the ranks.",

"How was High School and College?",

"Um… I didn't go to college because I went to Military School. High School wasn't exactly easy for me. I skipped two grades, being in the same one as my sister. I was bullied quite a bit.",

"That must've been hard, at least you had someone close.",

"I have a small circle of close friends too, not just my sister. They work for you: James, Lucy and Winn. Jessica also, but she moved to England." I answered,

"At least you weren't alone. Now, the main point of this interview is about raising awareness of PTSD; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Soldiers aren't really the biggest surprise for people now-a-days.",

"Then people don't know what we see. My case wouldn't be as dramatic but something small, like being the only survivor of an exploding pressure-plated bomb, right underneath the truck, is traumatising. There are things out there that remind me of it, even the simplest of normal, everyday things such as a loud noise from a war game.",

"You have Survivor's Guilt as well?" Cat gasped,

"It falls under PTSD, but yeah. I blamed myself for the loss of my comrades.",

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Time to change subject slightly,

"Do you want me to shed some light on _The_ _Phantom Fire_?",

"I haven't heard that tale in eleven years. The media were somewhat left in the dark.",

"It was the first time I experienced PTSD. I was the only survivor of that fire. My parents: Alura and Zach Corbett, died when their bedroom flashover." Ms Grant's grip on her glass tightened. I continued speaking, "My parents pushed me out the window, into the arms of a firefighter. That was the last time I ever saw them." Tears threatened to fall, but I fought against them, my nails digging into the leather. Cat leaned back into her seat.

"So that means… your real name is…" I decided to finish it for her.

"Kara Corbett, but the Danvers are my family also.",

"So back to the topic of your PTSD, how did you control it?",

"PTSD is something you can control once you know what triggers it. For example: a small thing such as fireworks or a sound from a game or film, that reminds me of something. Like I said earlier, the bomb. You can never fully cure yourself of PTSD, it's a part of you, but you're not alone. There are friends and family willing to help, support services willing to listen. Never, bottle things up and think you can control it yourself. I did that, it didn't go down well. I eventually broke in the end because I kept it to myself. Step up, speak up, have the courage and humility to say ' _I need help_ '. Admitting doesn't make you weak, it makes you stronger.",

"A very powerful message Kara. You're a brave woman. Thank you for your time."

Cat hit the ' _Stop_ ' button on the recording device. She was trying to process everything I just said in that interview. I somewhat feel relieved I let all that out, I feel as if so much pressure is taken off me. I let my anger go, Rachel doesn't hate me and sending out a strong message for those who suffered or are suffering because of PTSD. May it be rape victims, soldiers, abuse survivors, police officers, hell! Even firefighter. I stood up to leave the balcony and find Alex, that was until Ms Grant called out my name.

"Kara!" I turned to face Cat.

"I never got to thank you for saving my son, from that driver who was about to run over him. I'm forever in your debt." I scoffed, it was a rush of adrenaline and it was a spur of the moment kind of thing.

"I was just doing, what I thought was right. A boy his age, doesn't deserve to lose his life.",

"Why do you think so little of your actions? Do you not know what effect it has on the victim?" Ms Grant questioned. I hope this is not leading into a debate of philosophy.

"Ever since I joined the Army, I only thought of two things: duty and protecting the innocent. I never thought of the bigger picture.",

"Well then, the bigger picture I have to tell you is: Carter looks up to you like an inspirational role model." I chuckled nervously,

"Ms Grant, I'm nothing special. I'm just an ordinary person, fulfilling my duty.",

"To my son, you're his hero. You are his Supergirl.",

"I haven't heard that title since I saved a family's puppy from a flooded house when Hurricane Katrina hit down south." I told her,

"Kara, start seeing the big picture, see the actions you think are small and you're just doing your job. You are changing lives, inspiring people and bringing hope, knowing there is someone out there with a kind heart, willing to put them before yourself. Think about what I said." I nodded after Ms Grant's little speech.

I found Alex in James' office. Carter asked if I could go to his house for dinner, but I sadly had to decline as I was tired, but promised I'll go the next time, so he instantly asked his mom. Cat just smiled and said whenever I am free, I can come down. Alex also asked Winn when Open Mic Night is on. It's generally on every night, so I decided to go tonight and everyone agreed to go with me. I actually texted Barry if he wanted to come along with his friends and he said yes. Well, it's time to get ready then.

 _Night…_

( _Scene: The Wanderer's Bar, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Myself and everyone waited for Barry gang to arrive. For once, we're the first ones here. I made sure I was first on the list to sing. I wonder will Barry be willing to do another duet? I'm actually liking him as more than a friend, but it's too early to say. I'll hold back, keep my barriers up until he's ready to make the first move. I'll be patient with him, I don't want to rush things. There's still a lot more about him that I need to learn. Then Barry and his friends arrived. Barry smiled at me, looks he's giving me one of his one thousand megawatt smiles. His smiles, actually light me up a bit.

"It's been too long Kara." He teased,

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've been a bit busy.",

"Not surprised. So, did you take the Superintendent's advice?" I nodded,

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did. I met my counsellor yesterday, we're meeting again tomorrow for coffee.",

"What's her name?" Questioned Barry,

"Rachel O'Hara.",

"It's a small world! She was my counsellor too. She lived in Central City with her boyfriend before moving to the suburbs outside National City." I tried to keep my face straight when he said boyfriend, because I know who it is.

"A small world indeed." I agreed. I turned as the the band were giving me signals to come up on stage to sing. I nodded, then Barry grabbed my arm and said:

"As much as I want to sing with you, I can't. My throat is a tad bit sore.",

"That's alright Bar, nurse it." He chuckled and let me go up on stage. I had a fitting song in mind, one that tells I'm no longer afraid of the fire that burned my old life to the ground and killed my parents. I'm in the middle of getting my PTSD under control, but there's a fire inside me that gives the strength to fight. That fire, is the souls of my parents, they never left me, they are in my heart and my dreams.

I stood up on stage and told the band the song I'm singing. Surpsingly, they recognised it because it's by a group who started off on YouTube and they grew from there. I still think they're a bit young, but they have something. This song is special to me. The band played the intro, I had moment to quickly clear my throat, as I knew the notes are quite high to hit. My voice breaking in the middle of the high notes would be bad. Here goes nothing.

 _"Am I brave enough?_

 _Am I strong enough?_

 _To follow the desire_

 _That burns from within_

 _To push away my fear_

 _To stand where I'm afraid_

 _I am through with this_

 _'Cause I am more than this_

 _I promise to myself_

 _Alone and no one else_

 _My flame is rising higher_

 _I am the fire_

 _I am burning brighter_

 _Roaring like a storm_

 _And I am the one I've been waiting for_

 _Screaming like a siren_

 _Alive and burning brighter_

 _I am the fire!"_

I let out my emotions in this song, pure, raw emotion. I'm in control of my fear of fire, I'm in control of my PTSD. Nothing controls me! I am stronger than it! I am brave, I will not let it break me again!

 _"I've been sacrificed_

 _My heart's been cauterized_

 _Hanging on to hope_

 _Shackled by the ghost_

 _Of what I once believed_

 _That I could never be_

 _What's right in front of me?"_

This verse refers to when my parents pushed me out the window. I held onto the hope that my other family members would come forward for me, but none came, not even my aunt. I'm even sure was she aware her twin sister died, she was away on a business trip before it happened. She didn't make it to the funeral! I'm angry at her for, but I think I understand now. She and Alura had a major fallout, they never talked since. Maybe she's feeling guilty and can't bear to face me? After what happened, the fire and Syria, my life was like a ghost, always haunting me.

Eventually, it took control of me and let the song speak for me, I was shackled by it. I couldn't free myself, when Acceptance was in front of me, but I felt I could never accept what happened. I let my guilt consume for so long.

 _"I am the fire_

 _I am burning brighter_

 _Roaring like a storm_

 _And I am the one I've been waiting for_

 _Screaming like a siren_

 _Alive and burning brighter_

 _I am the fire!_

 _I don't believe I'll fall from grace_

 _Won't let the past decide my fate_

 _Leave forgiveness in my wake_

 _Take the love that I've embraced_

 _I promise to myself, me and no one else_

 _I am more than this_

 _I am the fire..._

 _I am the fire_

 _I am burning brighter_

 _Roaring like a storm_

 _And I am the one I've been waiting for_

 _Screaming like a siren_

 _Alive and burning brighter_

 _I am the fire!"_

I repeated the last line five times, then taking a big breath, I belted out the last repeat with all I got. I am a force to be reckoned with.

 _"I am the fire!"_

The band finished and the audience, even my friends clapped. No one really reads between the lines of the songs, but I'm sure Alex did and everyone else, Barry also. Each song I sing, has a personal meaning to me, it contains a fragment of my past, or I'm telling the story of my past. Barry was just smiling at me. He really is head over heels for me! Take it slow him! Give him some time, because I need it myself. My road to recovery will be long, but I will burn through it, like a fire.

* * *

 **Part 2 wrapped up! Kara is meeting Rachel again. She's on a slow road to recovery, but will still be a while before Lucy deems her fit to return to duty. Will Kara open up to Barry? This is Karry is going very slowly! Remember: Favourite, Follow and Review! Appreciate opinions and constructive critism!**


	8. Healing Her Cracks Part 3

**OK, sorry for the delay! Leaving Cert finished! Yah! Second, you're all probably sick of the parts of the final chapter, but it's so long! I'm glad you are all liking this!**

 **Clark Kent finally enters, more focus on him and Kara's fallout in Part 4. Next, please don't be mad that I made Clark older than Kara, it was the only way to make this work. I had to include Clark, I couldn't leave him out!**

 **I just have to say, I'm not very knowledgeable on American School Systems, so I don't know exactly what subjects you teach. If you're unsure what CSPE stands for it means: _Civic, Social, Political Education_.**

 **Note: I don't own the song** ** _Almost Home_** **by Mariah Carey. All rights go to the owner. Also, I recommend listening to it! It's an amazing song!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Healing Her Cracks Part 3

 _Next Day_

( _Scene: Noonan's Café, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Rachel and I sat down in Noonan's, having coffee. I told her how I took her advice. I vented my anger, I'm keeping up the singing, but I explained to her that I'm still struggling to forgive myself. I understand Rachel has forgiven me already, she doesn't blame me for Donavan's… Jason's death. It was something I cannot control in life, I'm not God, though I question his existence and His motives. If He is an all-forgiving Lord, why do I feel like I'm being punished? If He created man to be like Him, then why all the death? Why do we fight amongst ourselves? Is there a point for creating _The Ten Commandments_? The human race has already broken half of them.

I was once again, lost in my own thoughts. I didn't notice Rachel giving me concerned stares. I should really stop staring out into space, it worries my friends and now, my counsellor. The incident in Syria is not what's on my mind, it's my cousin. He's eleven years older than me, if my memory serves me right, Clark is thirty-five years old. I wouldn't have remembered him, to me, he's still an estranged relative. I don't know what the reason is for his parents to put him up for adoption. They're probably somewhere in the world, alive.

"You alright Kara?" Rachel asks me, breaking me from my train of thought. I snapped my head.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?",

"You're still not thinking about my fiancé are you?",

"No! No!" I answered quickly, "I was just thinking about my cousin.",

"So you do have family.",

"I- it's complicated. Clark was adopted also, he found out about me three years ago. He managed to catch me before leaving for Afghanistan; my first tour of duty." I clenched my fist, I'm still mad at him, Clark has been a great family member! "I gave him every single method to contact me! Hell! I cancelled a Skype call to Eliza and Alex just so I could call him when I was on my tour! Asshole never answered! It was his wife Lois Lane. Said he was busy and he's sorry. Sorry my ass!",

"Perhaps you should try talking to Clark again. When was the last time you have seen him?" Says Rachel, tapping at her cup. I think back, the last time I saw Clark, was when he came here for coffee, but had to cut it short when his boss called. I haven't heard from him since. I tried to make arrangements with him, but he'd cancel last minute. I hated him because we were meant to be family! Clark could've made the effort to find some time for me! I always made time for him, worked out my free days! Surely all he had to do was pull some backbone to see me!

"Last time we've seen each other was two years and three months ago." I said, my tone bitter and full of resentment. Rachel, knowing I didn't want to carry on the subject, she changed it.

"How are you finding Karaoke Night? Is it helping you?",

"Funny you should ask. It surprisingly is, letting out my emotions through a song that has personal meaning to me. The audience, except for my friends, don't really read between the lines." I chuckled,

"I'm not surprised. Who wants to do an English class on songs?" She joked,

"I don't know? Me?" I had a look at my watch, it read _13:20_. That was when I realised I organised a day with Lucy and Alex for some sparring. I got up. "I'm sorry Rachel, but I have to cut this short. I promised Alex and Lucy that I'd meet them for some sparring.",

"It's alright, it was a nice day with you. Also, do me a favour?" I cocked my head in interest,

"Fire away.",

"Kick Lucy's ass for me." She laughed. I smirked,

"Consider it, done." I was more than happy to oblige. Lucy thinks she's the best, well, she has another thing coming. As Rachel and I stood up from our table to leave, I ended up bumping into someone, who had a muscular body mass, though not as much as mine and the fact I only saw the chest, meaning he was 6ft 5". That led to one thing, one conclusion… and it was a certain person I did not wish to see. I looked up, staring at my cousin Clark Kent. My body language changed in an instant, even Rachel saw it and got a little worried. Clark spoke first.

"Kara-" I cut him off,

"You have guts to come see me Clark. What are you doing here?",

"A weekend break with my wife Lois." He's married!? Of course he never told me, I cut all communications with him. "We wanted to invite you, but your sister told us you were on tour to Iraq and you wouldn't make it in time." That was… last year? I'm somewhat glad I didn't go or couldn't make it at all. I would've made the perfect occasion awkward. Wait! That means Lucy is the sister-I'm-law! And she never told me!

"It doesn't matter." I grunted,

"I heard what happened, I'm sorry. I truly am." His voice was genuine, but he was t there to help me cope through my suffering. I was so focused on Clark, I didn't notice Rachel slip away, but I say it's for the best. I can be… unruly when I'm angry and end up saying things I'll regret, or not. I clenched my jaw, before pulling out a piece of paper, I grabbed the pen from Clark's pocket near his chest and wrote a time and place to meet me tomorrow.

"This is the address to Alex's apartment, I live there with her until I'm deemed fit to return to duty. If you want to talk more, you'd come see me, if you were really my cousin." I placed the pen on the page and left my cousin's presence. Why is everything so hard for me? Life has been doing nothing else but throw one thing after another. Perhaps God isn't as forgiving as the people claim he is to be.

 _One Hour Later…_

( _Scene: National City MMA Club, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Lucy leaped, dodging my sweep kick in attempt to knock her off her feet. We were both sparring for the best half hour, I could feel the sweat down my back. My breathing was slightly rapid, but I'm far from giving up. I gave Lucy the signal to come at me, taunting her almost, and low and behold, the smartass, sarcastic Baby Lane fell for it. She ran at me, letting out a flying a kick, perfectly executed too. Note to self: ask Lucy what type of martial arts does she specialise in. Unfortunately for her, I know how to intercept flying kicks. Wait… now! I side-stepped a small bit, then I caught her ankle. She gasped, realising she's in trouble. Before she knew it, I latched onto the side of her clothes, then slammed her into the mat.

I counted down in my head. Lucy was down, there's no way you can recover after that! Unless you're Alex that is, like I mean, I threw her into a tree! And a brick wall in the garage and that was before the tree! Because mom made myself and Alex spar outside in fear that we'd accidentally break something in there. Lucy groaned as she regained her senses. Alex was doubling over, laughing.

"And I thought Judo meant ' _gentle way_ '!",

"That was gentle!" I countered,

"That's your definition of gentle sis. I think you picked up on a little of my Mixed Martial Arts." I shrugged,

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't.",

"You slammed me into the freaking mat Little Danvers!" Lucy pouted, which I dare say, is so adorable. "That is something you do in Wrestling or MMA!",

"Consider yourself lucky Baby Lane, that blows to the head, neck and behind the knee are all illegal. Anyways, I had the advantage since you shifted your centre of gravity. Judo is all about unbalancing your opponent." I smirked,

"Kara: one, Lucy: zero." Lucy turned and glared at Alex,

"Oh you are on Big Danvers.",

"Great! It's bad enough we were called the Danvers Duo, what's next? Big Danvers, Little Danvers?",

"That does work." Lucy giggled. I groaned, mentally telling myself: kill me.

I sat down by the wall, pulling out a towel and a bottle of water. I drank the water, while watching Alex and Lucy spar, it was quite fun to watch since their styles are not far off from each other. Both are decent competitors, only Alex and I will step it up a notch since we sparred for so long, we know each other's moves and counters. I then got up because I needed to go to the bathroom, so I called out to Alex.

"Hey sis!",

"Sup?" She responded,

"I'm heading to the bathroom, so just you know and you don't get the impression I disappeared.",

"Alright." She resumed to her sparring match with Lucy and I left the room.

( _Alexandra's POV_ )

After Kara left the Training Room, I heard my phone vibrate. I hope it isn't Max, sometimes, I think my boss needs to get his ego in check. In my case, I'll gladly punch his handsome smug-looking face. Seriously! What kind of surname is Lord!? I stepped off the mat and reached into my backpack, taking out my phone, I unlocked it, only to frown in suspicion. It was a message from Caitlin, Barry's friend. The message read:

 _"Phase One of Operation: SuperFlash complete. Target A accepted dinner tonight. Still waiting for reply about Target B on your front."_ Lucy! She and Caitlin must have set up a dinner date for Kara and Barry! Really!? And I wasn't told any of this! Alright, perhaps they were going to get me to convince Kara to go to the meal. Damn! Baby Lane and Caitlin are sure sneaky as hell! Anyways, I did tell them I was all in for this, so… may as well play my part in this. I'm doing this for my sister, because I know Barry will make her very happy in the future. Lucy walked up to me and looked at the text message. Also, how did Caitlin get my number? Lucy again, she has this all planned out.

"So, you have a plan in your head to persuade Kara?",

"Don't worry, Kara is easy to convince." I reassured. Bang on time, Kara entered after her trip to the bathroom.

"Kara!" Her head snapped up,

"Yes Alex?",

"Do you have plans tonight?",

"No. We were going to have another movie night.",

"Sorry, but… I'll have to cancel. I'm needed for a late shift." Kara's face fell to clear disappointment, but she's understanding, that's the best part of her. Kara just listens, understands and accepts. She doesn't make a big fuss about it, never has, even as a teenager.

"It's fine. I'll have some take-out by myself.",

"Actually, Lucy booked a reservation at a nice restaurant in town with James, but Cat has him working late." I said to her,

"Where is this going to?",

"I was wondering do want to go out with me, as friends and we can catch up on how you're getting on with Rachel." Lucy grinned. Kara loosened up a small bit.

"OK, I'll keep you company. Is it alright if I meet you at the restaurant?",

"Yeah! That's fine! Just don't keep me waiting.",

"Guess I'll be raiding your wardrobe Alex." Kara smiled cheekily. To be fair, I do have some nice dresses, unknown to Kara, I purposely buy dresses that are too big for me, so they can fit my sister. Lucy glanced at her watch, then saying:

"Oh! It's _16:30_! I made the reservation for _19:00_! That's two and half hours to get ready!",

"Better head then. See you later Alex!" Kara left to get ready for her 'night out' with 'Lucy'. When she was gone, me we both burst out laughing. That was foolproo! I can't believe my sister fell for that! We immediately texted back Caitlin, telling her:

"Target B is going to dinner. Ready to move onto Phase Two." A few seconds later,

 _"Well done Agents. Let's hope this plan isn't all for nothing."_ I'm mentally hoping Kara doesn't screw this up. If she does, I'm using her as a punching bag for her idiocy.

 _Two Hours Later…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

I entered my abnormally quiet apartment. Damn! Kara got ready fast, she must be adamant to talk to Lucy, no doubt she's trying to convince her to let her go back on duty, or so she believes. Kara has improved I must say, her nightmares have decreased, she doesn't react as bad as she used to, when she hears loud noise, noise that reminds her of her ordeal in Syria. My sister does have the odd time she blames herself for Tsung's and Donavan's death, though she's slowly getting through that. Kara told me her counsellor: Rachel was Donavan's fiancé, I nearly choked on my coffee. After their first meeting, Kara seemed that little bit happier, but kind of sad. No wonder, she met the woman her friend and comrade was about to propose to. That is hard for them both.

Next, I think it will be another month or so before Lucy let's her back into the Army. Lucy admitted she can see my sister is dying to get back into her line of work, but fears if she brings her back too early; yes Kara will pass the Physical, but the Psychological Exam could go against her. The trauma from the bomb is still deeply ingrained in Kara's mind and could stop her from getting back to work. My thoughts were broken by a text from Lucy. What now? Don't tell me the plan has AWOL. A million scenarios ran through my head, most of them are ways that Kara screw up the planned date with Barry. What's worse? Each scenario is getting far worse than the previous. I opened the message.

 _"Target A and B are in position. They're ahead of schedule. Target A taking his seat, Target B is entering the facility. Also, I have Recon Agents in place!"_ My knees nearly buckled. Reconnaissance Agents!? How come I'm not one them!? Who is it!? I'm going to kill Lucy and Caitlin, when I get my hands on them. Although, if this crazy plan works, I'll be hugging them.

"SGM Lane, who are the Recon Agents?" Exactly a minute passed and Lucy replied,

 _"I have my boyfriend taking photos of this special occasion and I convinced Winn and Cisco to hack into CCTV. We have a birds eye view of the date on all sides."_ ,

"If we get compromised, we are all dead. Did you know Target B carries a Smith and Wesson!? She will hold no thought and shoot us!",

 _"Calm down Danvers, you know Target B never carries arm on her. She hates the idea! It's foolproof. I promise I will get Winn to forward you CCTV footage!"_

I sighed as I closed my phone. Ironically for a lawyer and SGM, she is breaking the law for hacking into CCTV. I will be laughing if she is busted, but Winn is like a computer wizard! He can easily cover his tracks, also, I want Kara to tell me the story instead, not some silent CCTV footage. Well, I have the apartment to myself, I may as well order some Chinese food and watch that new series of Orange is the New Black.

 _Twenty Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Luigi's Italanio Restaurant, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I quietly sipped my wine as myself and BARRY! Dined on some nice, delicious and professionally cooked Italian food. Something's nagging me at the back of my mind, I was told that by Lucy herself that she'd meet me, but no! Who do I see, waiting for me in a gorgeous suit and hair nicely combed back, is Officer Barry Allen. Lucy must have set us up, but I have a feeling she had help, there's no way she could pull this off by herself without ringing alarm bells. When I get back, after this lovely date I dare say, she and I will have a very long chat, with her partners in crime, after I talk to my estranged cousin.

We didn't know what to eat from the menu, so Barry and I went for some good old fashion pepperoni pizza. What can go wrong with that? Well, the pizzas are fairly large, so we decided to share. We took a slice each, Barry looking at me with his sparkling aqua-green eyes. They reminded me of the sea, the light reflecting off its surface, the sun's rays, dancing on the waves. What does Barry see in me? I'm soldier, broken by a war-torn country. I have seen a lot things, actions carried out by people that deserve to be put in prison, for breaking the peace, forcing many civilians to leave their home.

Europe is under pressure with _The Syrian Refugee Crisis_. It's so bad, some refugees resorted to entering the country illegally by traversing the deadly Aegean Sea, into Greece, which is already suffering economic problems. This is a year where our world is completely fucked up. One cause of course is _ISIS_ and their stupid campaign to spread their religion, which is wrong. Barry spoke, breaking my thoughts.

"You alright Kara? You're awfully quiet." I cleared my throat,

"I'm fine. Just… have a lot on my mind.",

"Like what?" He asked me, as I took a bite out of my pizza slice.

"Just… the problems of the world. The growing power of _ISIS_ , the _Refugee Crisis_ , _The EU Referendum_ that is close, which will decide whether or not Great Britain will leave the EU or not, which will be messy if they do. Also, Donald Trump." Barry snickered,

"You don't like him do you?",

"Of course I don't!" I exclaimed, "He's literally America's version of Adolf Hitler! He hold no shame in what he is saying is wrong! Like banning Muslims from entering our states! Not all of them are like _ISIS_! Also," I dropped my tone an octave and mimicked Trump: "I will build a wall! It will be a big wall!" My date choked on his pizza, from my imitation, was I that accurate?

"Nailed it Danvers! If he was here, he'll have you arrested from something as petty as that!" I sat a little straighter, quite proud of myself that I nailed mocking Trump.

"Let him try."

"You know, you're very aware of the currents affairs going on. Even outside America." I laughed,

"I thank my foster father, Jeremiah for that. Though Alex was more into science, she listened to the news.",

"But for you, you engrossed yourself with it." He chuckled,

"Hey! I managed to start an argument with my CSPE teacher for a full hour! Alex found it the most amusing thing in her school career.",

"I can imagine the teacher getting flustered because you had a counter statement for everything he/she said." Barry's eyes twinkled with amusement. I took another sip of my wine.

"She actually told me to leave the class.",

"Did you?",

"No, I just sat and shut up before she called the principal." Barry's face fell,

"You should have left. You would've made a good teacher, scientists, activist anything! You're overqualified for everything." I smirked slightly at him,

"I'll take that as a compliment." I decided to change the subject, I didn't want to drag on Politics too much and report back to Alex saying I discussed Political and Current Affairs on our my date. She'd whack me with a baseball bat if she had one and Lucy, who knows the ins and outs of a cats ass, no pun intending to Cat Grant either, because it's true. Lucy will moan and face-palm, then give me a soldier's lecture about the true art of dating.

"Barry, do you think we were set up?" Barry stopped eating to think about it. He gave it a long, hard thought.

"Funnily, I thought there was something off as well. The way you looked at me, you were surprised.",

"I thought I was meant to be meeting someone else. She said she'd be here." Barry choked on his own glass of wine.

"Wait! Are you gay!?",

"What!? No! I'm not gay Barry!" I answered back in a panic.

"OK, OK. We were definitely set up. By whom though?" Poor Barry was awfully confused. I snorted,

"I think I have a gut feeling, but we'll with them, after this date.",

"So… Kara, do you like me?" A bold question Allen, but if I'm honest, I liked him the moment we first talked in the Interrogation Room, when I was arrested. I decided to give the young man a straight answer. I put my hand on his, to make my message clear. I smiled at him, I never smiled so brightly since I was broken, mentally and physically.

"Yes Barry. I like you, a lot." Barry's smile brightened by a further thousand megawatts.

"Does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?",

"Yes. Barry, just to let you know, I'm still receiving counselling sessions. I'm not fully in control of my PTSD.",

"And I'll support you all the way. Shall we finish up and… go to Open Mic Night?" He offered,

"Sure. It also acts as a coping mechanism for me as well.",

"What are we waiting for!? Let's finish this pizza!"

 _Forty Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: The Wanderer's Bar, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Barry and I stepped into the bar, our hands clasped together. We're not long after paying the bill back at the Italian Restaurant, where we spent some arguing who'll pay. Barry wanted to pay all, but I told him I was going to do it, so instead, we decided to split it. We walked up to the barman. Barry gave me a playful look.

"I'm paying for drinks this time." We ordered our drinks and a few minutes later, the bartender came back with our order. He then looked at me, frowning before realising something.

"Hey! You're that really good singer! I'll let the band know you're here!" And he scurried off.

"Someone's becoming famous. Maybe a singing career would be an ideal choice." I scoffed at Barry,

"Shut up." Before I knew it, the band was calling me up onto the stage. I sighed a small bit, but I suddenly have reignited my love for singing. I had the perfect song in mind. I stepped onto the stage, the band were ready, so I decided to give a very short, two minute explanation.

"Hey, this is a song that is usually private among myself and my fellow comrades in the Army. As you know, if you have family, friends working for the Military, they think of nothing else but home. Like them, I had my fair share of homesickness, especially on long tours. This song I sing makes myself and my comrades feel a little bit better. This is Mariah Carey: _Almost Home_." I told the band earlier on I wanted to do an acoustic version of it, so the guitarist began strumming the guitar for a couple of notes, which I counted in my head. Once the last note hit, I began to sing.

 _"I've seen the light in the sky_

 _In the skies are like fireflies_

 _Burning bright, just to vanish in the dark_

 _I've held hope in my two hands_

 _That there would be another chance_

 _To find the kingdom, I'm believing in my heart_

 _Cause underneath the good there's something greater than you know."_

I remember one night, when I was in Afghanistan on my first tour of duty, I was terribly homesick. My real father, Zach, he taught me how to read the stars, the constellations. He said if I know how to read the stars, I'll always find my home. Also, it was the same home that vanished before my eyes in the fire. The second chance that hope came to me, was when the Danvers took me in and adopted me, so when I looked at the stars, I thought of both my homes. My real home and adoptive home. I love them equally. I continued to sing.

 _"When you're almost there_

 _And you're almost home_

 _Just open up your eyes and go, go_

 _When you're almost there, almost home_

 _Know you're not alone_

 _You're almost home."_

The chorus always gave soldiers who are half-way through their tour or nearing some kind of break from duty, some form of hope, they are nearly there. Just a week, a month, two months, whatever the time span, home is right around the corner, families and children and friends, waiting patiently for their loved ones to come home. When that day comes, all they have to do is open their eyes and go.

 _"When you run, run so far_

 _You've forgotten who you are_

 _Where you're from, it's like some other universe_

 _You count your steps, like they're regrets_

 _You catch one breath then lose the rest_

 _Wrong is right, right is left_

 _And there's nowhere left to turn."_

This verse relates to me so much. Ever since Syria, I was a mess. I had no sense of direction. Every single step I made in my life, I began to regret my reason for surviving, when the steps I'm making right now and instead, could be the steps for Tsung and Jason Donavan. I was lost in myself so much, thinking I was fine. Like any shellshocked solider, I just continued in telling myself lies and more lies, making so many turns in my pathetic life until I had nowhere left to go.

I then belted out the last five verses, making them sound hopeful. Actually, these verses were hopeful, because I'm almost home. I'm almost there, to finding myself.

 _"So don't believe in everything_

 _You think, you think you know_

 _When you're almost there_

 _And you're almost home_

 _Just open up your eyes and go, go_

 _When you're almost there, almost home_

 _Know you're not alone_

 _You're almost home_

 _When you let your heart be the compass_

 _You won't get lost, not if you trust it_

 _When you hear the sound of the trumpet_

 _Louder than ever before_

 _Oh, when you're almost there_

 _Almost home_

 _Just open up your eyes and go, go_

 _Cause you're almost there_

 _Almost home_

 _Know you're not alone_

 _You're almost home_

 _When you're almost there_

 _Almost home_

 _Just open up your eyes and go, go_

 _Almost there_

 _You're almost home_

 _Know you're not alone_

 _You're almost home."_

The solo guitarist finished strumming the last note. Everyone clapped, they enjoyed the performance and not only that, they understood my interpretation of the song, because they must have someone a relative, friends, a family member working in any of the branches of the American Military. I guess I have given them some hope. It's somewhat heart wrenching, watching someone you love leave for who knows how long. I stepped off stage, then walked over to Barry, who was waiting for me.

"A beautiful song." He said,

"Thanks." I simply replied. Barry and I finished our drinks, he paid the bill this time, then he offered to walk me back to Alex's apartment. I accepted his offer.

 _Fifty-five Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Outside Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Barry led me to the apartment block. It was a nice stroll but I was extremely tired. It was late, very late. I checked my watch _2:45_ was on the digital screen. All I want to do is sleep. I can give Alex the debriefing later this evening. I'm sleeping in for all I care. I turned to Barry.

"Barry, thanks for today. It was special, despite the interference of outside forces." I smirked and he just laughed.

"You're welcome Kara. Will I see you again?",

"Of course you will. How about a movie sometime?",

"Love it. Kara?",

"What?" Barry smiled nervously,

"Kiss me." And I did. What was two minutes, felt like a lifetime. It was like time slowed down, the Earth stopped rotating. The world freezes to watch myself and Barry embrace each other. We broke apart, needing air.

"Is that the official seal that you're my girlfriend?",

"Yeah, same goes for you since you are now my boyfriend." Barry planted a quick kiss in my cheek and let me go inside. I was screaming on the inside! My emotions were in a frenzy. I may want to rethink about murdering Lucy and her crew. Guess they gave us the push we needed. I was dancing around him but… that doesn't matter anymore. I have Barry and he's mine, forever more and he genuinely loves me, despite what I went through. That's the heart of a true lover.

* * *

 **Part 3 finished! Next, lets delve deeper into the reason Kara and Clark lost touch with each other.**


	9. Healing Her Cracks Part 4

**At long last, the final part of the final chapter! It's been great writing this, I'm glad this story was received positively. Thanks for following, favouriting, reviewing ect. Now I'm not sure if I let this open-ended and giving hints to a sequel. I'm not even sure if I'll write one. Who knows.**

 **Note: For the songs I'm using, I do not own Demi Lovato** ** _Lightweight_** **and Rachel Platten** ** _Fight Song_** **. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Healing Her Cracks Part 4

 _Morning…_

( _Scene: Alexandra's Apartment, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I woke up the next morning, well after several hours of sleep. I came back later than usual. I fell back onto my pillow, the date with Barry was… I don't know how to describe it! Magical? He is such a gentleman, I have to say he was pretty handsome in his suit. Looked a bit too formal for the date, but whoever set him up, made him wear it. I turned over to check the clock: _11:35_ it read. Alright, I still managed over eight hours. I dragged myself out of bed to make breakfast, leaving my room, still dressed in my PJs.

By the time I stepped out, looks like Alex already beat me to the kitchen. She was making more pancakes and some fresh coffee. God! I could with coffee right now! I walked over to my sister, only to have her looking up, finally noticing me.

"Kara! How was your date?" She asked, only to give me a subtle smirk. I sat on the stool, as she gave me my cup of coffee. Alex sat down also. "I want details.",

"Alex, there's not much to say. Our date is like a typical date.",

"Nonsense sis! Come on! Something must have happened!" Alex was practically pleading, that's new.

"Barry is so nice! Well mannered at the restaurant. Everything about him is just… perfect!",

"What did you two talk about?" Oh boy.

"Well… for a brief moment we were talking about Political and Current Affairs national and international." That was when Alex groaned, literally face-palming. I knew that coming.

"Oh Jesus, Kara! You do not talk about politics on a date! That is the ' _No Go Zone_ '! I'm going to make sure Lucy kicks your ass about that!" She paused to sip her coffee.

"He actually found it interesting. I made him laugh at my imitation of Donald Trump.",

"God kara! Don't mention his name! Even though I'm not impressed with our line up of candidates for Presidency, I'd rather vote for Hillary Clinton or write a petition to keep Obama in the White House.",

"I'm guessing that rambling means you're surprised that I didn't bore Barry to death?",

"Yes. Also, I approve of you dating Mr Allen." She smiled. Thank God! It'll be the end of worthless blind dates! "That doesn't mean Barry is going to get away from my ' _Big Sister Talk_ '.",

"Alex!" I whined, "You'll traumatise my poor boyfriend!",

"He's an officer!" Alex countered,

"You're still able to scare any guy, regardless of position or his job." My sister gave me a sheepish look. That's right! Don't deny it! I remember how she scared one of the bullies in High School, but that was for good reason. Scaring Barry is different!

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Alex frowned, thinking who would call over at this hour in the morning. Then something hit me! Fuck! It's my cousin! I completely forgot to tell Alex that I gave him her address to come and talk to me! Alex walked over to the door and opened it. Alex's stance shifted slightly when she saw the person in front of her and hell she recognised him! My sister crossed her arms and glared a small bit. Not a good sign, but of course I told her about my problems with Clark.

"What are you doing here Clark?" Her question coming out like a jagged knife.

"I'm- I'm here to see Kara." He stuttered,

"Come on in." Clark stepped in, he was dressed differently. He was wearing some loose and relaxed clothes, quite different to his work suit. If I remember correctly, Clark is a Reporter and he also writes articles, works at the Daily Planet under Perry White. Also CatCo Worldwide Media's biggest competitor. Ouch, I'm pretty sure that news industry got the cat's claws more times that it can count. I should really stop making up cat puns. Alex had Clark sit on the couch while she made another coffee. I got up from my seat and sat down on the other couch, across from Clark. I'm still not ready to call him family, or ever will be.

Alex came back with the coffee and handed it to Clark. She told both of us that she has work at Lord Technologies, so she said goodbye, still glaring at Clark and grabbed her jacket and bag. She left the room, closing the door behind her with a gentle ' _thud_ '. Clark was fidgeting with his hands, a thing he does when he's nervous. What I do when I'm nervous? I usually look around and avoid a person's gaze, or look at them quickly before looking at something else. My major tactic: I make up an excuse to leave.

"You found the courage to show up." I said to him, breaking up the awkward silence.

"Hm. Got a little pep talk from Lois." He said, "She knew how scared I was. She knows things between you and I are icy." I let out a bitter, cynical laugh,

"Does she now Clark? Does Lois Lane really understand why myself and you aren't on favourable grounds? She only has one side of the story. For all I know, you could've twisted it!" My ' _cousin_ ' looked offended. His body language stiffened. Clearly he's not liking my cold counters.

"You think I would lie to my wife just to make her feel sorry for me!? She knows a part of your story!",

"All media in America know about _The Phantom Fire_. The only thing they don't know, is what happened to me, because my foster parents begged the press to keep my life private! My parents! Allura and Zach gave their life for me!" My voice was slightly raised, which shocked Clark a small bit. Maybe I should calm down, I'm beginning to lose control of my Short Fuse. Of all things that stuck around, it's that. Clark sighed before saying:

"I know it hurts. You at least had thirteen years with your parents. I was adopted when I was a baby! I don't know them!",

"All the more reason that it hurts more. Remembering less, makes the suffering more bearable. What happened to your parents? I don't know much about my father's brother." I told him. I remember Zach mentioning his brother, but he said it sadly, so I never brought it up to him.

"My parents were killed in a car collision, from what I learned. Your parents, before they had you, were baby-sitting me. Their names were Lara and Jordan Corbett. My real name is Kaelin Corbett." Then I was able to put two and two together.

"So the family that adopted you: the Kents, renamed you Clark." My cousin nodded.

"They didn't tell me till I was eighteen." I was only seven then. My heart clenched, why wasn't I told that I had a blood relative? Why did it have to be Clark, to go through the gruelling Adoption System. "But I didn't go tracing until I was thirty-two. I wanted some time to digest the information." I huffed a little bit. Perhaps I was too harsh on Clark. It's true he had a lot to take in and to be fair he eventually he found the courage to go tracing, then to approach me when he discovered I was alive. Maybe I was the one being mean, I barely gave him a chance, mainly because, when he found me, I was somewhat mad at my parents. I was in a raw state, but hiding it since I was getting ready to leave for Afghanistan.

That was when, I was teaching myself to bury my anger. Major mistake, which Rachel already taught me. I let it build up and it was just getting ready to explode at any moment. The trigger is my PTSD. Clark's here to make amends with me and put our past bitterness behind, turn over a new leaf.

"I'm sorry I was angry at you, for so long.",

"I guess we should both be sorry." He chuckled lightly, "I was the one putting off our arrangements. I was doing that because I was scared, I had so many scenarios playing in my head of what could go wrong. If I said something that would hurt you, you'd hate me.",

"Clark, I wouldn't be angry at that. Well, yes but… I'd get over it quickly. I was just mad that you cancelled every arrangement we planned to meet up.",

"Do you want to start over?" I smiled,

"That'd be nice. So, how about catch up? Myself, my boyfriends and friends are meeting up tonight at The Wanderer's Bar. Open Mic Night every night." Clark raised an eyebrow,

"Boyfriend?",

"You'll see him tonight." I teased, "Please don't scare him, as Alex already has that covered.",

"Alright. I'll see you tonight. You don't mind if I bring Lois?",

"No! I'm sure Lucy would love to meet her sister again!" I laughed. Clark stood up, so did I and we instantly locked each other in a hug, savouring this moment. He then let go, said he'll see me tonight. Well, I feel some of my cracks are starting to be filled. That's just the first few, there's still more that need to be dealt with. In Lois' perspective, she'll be glad her husband got out alive.

All of a sudden, my phone vibrated. Who's texting me? I reached into my pocket for my phone and pulled it out. I unlocked it, and stared at the screen. I frowned, Unknown Number? This better be not some kind of prank call that kids back home in school used to do. I opened the message either way, just to see what it said.

 _"Hey Kara! It's Carter! I hope I didn't freak you out, had to go through National City Phonebook for your sister's number to ask permission for your number. I'm on lunch break right now, we're allowed to use our phones. So, my dad was supposed to collect me today but cancelled last minute. I was wondering could you pick me up? Don't worry I asked mom about all this she's cool. Will you come down? We can get ice cream!"_ I snorted, he had to throw in a bribe. Fair play to Carter he has everything sorted out in advance. He's definitely Cat Grants' son, with few inherited investigative skills. So that's how he got my number! He asked Alex if she could give it to him! I'm guessing then she has no problem because she saw how much Carter seems to like me. So I texted back.

"Sure Carter. What time does school finish?" Literally a second passed,

 _"School finishes at 15:30."_ ,

"Be there!",

 _"Thanks Kara! You're the best!"_ I shut my phone. Next, I glanced at the clock, it was _13:30_. So I presume lunch finishes at _14:00_ , well then, I'll get the taxi for the school around _14:45_ , considering the traffic in National City. May as well get a power nap. I set my clock for _14:40_ , that gives me more than enough time to get prepared. Or just run down the stairs.

 _Seventy Minutes Later…_

I jerked when my phone alarm went off. I stretched out my hand to turn it off, got off the couch and grabbed a few things such as money and keys. I walked out, closing and locking the door and left the building. I signalled for a taxi and got in the car.

"National City High School." The driver nodded and hit the accelerator.

 _Thirty Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: National City High School, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

I paid the taxi driver, then stepped out of the car. I looked at my watch, I'm early, but not the only one. There were one or two parents here, but I'm going to guess some students goin to the city for something to eat or hang around. I stood there and waited for the bell to ring. Finally, the bell rang, I didn't flinch to the loud noise, I'm slowly getting control of my PTSD. Lucy said that's good, but it'll be awhile before she let's me back in to the job. Which is frustrating, I want to work again! Soon, the kids began pouring out, all laughing and chatting away. I kept my eye out for Carter.

At the far end, I saw Carter. He didn't see me yet, but I'll be sure to give him a fun day. I frowned when three or four taller guys from his year sneak up behind him, only to push him. Roughly. Charter landed, skidding across the ground. If it wasn't for his long clothes, how would I explain the cuts to Ms Grant!? Knowing he's bullied, I sprinted across the yard like it was nothing. They picked up Carter and pushed him around, laughing. They were about to push him to the ground again, which they did but I managed to catch him on time. I straightened Carter, putting him behind me, glaring at the boys.

"What do you think you're doing?" I was trying hard not growl at them.

"What'd you think lady? We're showing this nerd who's the boss!" The lad, who was near enough my my height, looked at me with the same intimidating glare. I stood there unshaken. I've seen worse. The boy put a foot forward, big mistake, it triggered my reflexes. I grabbed his right arm with my left, sharply yanked him to the side, reaching out with my right foot, wrapping it around his ankle. It was all a fast, swift motion and I had him on the ground. I made sure the impact wasn't sore, but I have to teach him a lesson. I kept him down, with his arm behind his back.

"You and your gang, stay away from Carter! I can do worse! A lot worse! Are we clear?",

"Yes ma'am! Just let me go please!" He begged. I did and they ran off. I turned, to see Carter looking at me in awe.

"That's so cool! Could you teach me!?",

"You'll have to ask your mom first but I'm sure there's some Self-defence schools around the city. Come on, let's go get some food. Pizza and ice cream?",

"Love it! Hey, I have no homework. There's good movies in the cinema. Want to catch one?",

"What do you have in mind?",

" _X-men: Apocalypse_.",

"You don't mind staying away from movies that involves explosions? I'm still sensitive to those. I'm not fully recovered from my ordeal with PTSD." Carter scratched his chin and thought hard. He well knows his film options are limited and he understands my issues. It will be a few weeks or months before Alex will let me watch films of those genres. I'm already missing my _Godzilla_ Boxsets.

"Please don't laugh and I'm not exactly calling you old but… do you want to see _Finding Dory_." My eyes lit up.

"Are you kidding!? I've been waiting ages for a sequel since I watched _Finding Nemo_!" Carter burst out laughing,

"Despite being a soldier, you're a child at heart.",

"Of course I am." I took out my phone to see the film lists. The next screening is on in twenty minutes. If we walk now and fast, we'll make it in time.

"Let's go Carter. It's on again in twenty minutes." And we both power walked to the nearest cinema.

 _Ten Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Omniplex, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Thanks to power walking, we made it to the cinema in half the time I calculated in my head. Carter was bouncing on feet, he seems excited to see this film, as am I. I've watched _Finding Nemo_ when I was eleven! My parents brought me to the cinema when I begged them. I always wondered if Disney would make a sequel, like I mean, all other Disney movies got a second film accompanying the first. It took them thirteen years to finally agree to writing the script for this!

I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, as I usually do and I bumped into someone. We both fell to the ground. I really have to stop crashing into people and I heard Carter laughing at me for being an idiot. Some role model I am. I looked up to see it was my boyfriend Barry and his friend Cisco. What's he doing here!?

"Barry!?",

"Kara! How are you?" We both picked ourselves up and fixed our clothes, straightening them out. I smiled brightly, happy to see him.

"What are you doing here Barry." I questioned,

"Me? I'm here to see _Finding Dory_ with Cisco. He would not shut up about it.",

"To be fair to all people who watched _Finding Nemo_ in 2003, we waited for thirteen years for a sequel." Barry hummed at my counter,

"Point proven." He tilted his head and saw Carter. Damn! I forgot to introduce him!

"Carter, this is Barry Allen, my boyfriend. Barry, Carter, Cat Grants' son." Barry stretched out his hand for a handshake. Carter accepted, he knew he can trust Barry since I'm in a relationship with him.

"Nice to meet you Barry. Guess we can hang out together. Just don't go all puppy love in front of me." He teased, causing myself and Barry to blush.

"Let's just go in, pay for tickets, buy popcorn and watch the movie." Carter, Barry and Cisco shrugged,

"Sure!" They all said at the same time. We went in and did all the above. Now, just sit back and enjoy the movie!

 _One Hundred and Five Minutes Later…_

The four of us walked out of the cinema, laughing and talking about the film. It was so good! At least I don't feel I wasted my money on it. That was the best sequel by far! I'm so glad Disney finally made it! Barry had his arm wrapped around my shoulder. Cisco and Carter were hitting off grand, geeking out over a lot of stuff. I felt a kiss on my cheek. I turned my head, looking at Barry.

"You and your gang going to Open Mic Night?" I asked him,

"Of course I am!",

"I don't think I'll sing tonight. I'm catching up with my cousin Clark.",

"Clark as in… the Clark Kent! He's a famous Reporter and Writer!" He exclaimed,

"Yeah, well, I'm just starting over with him. He's my only blood relative but things were icy between him and myself.",

"I'll let that be your business." Barry replied. It's good that I have a boyfriend who understands me and knows when not to overstep the mark. I looked at my watch.

"God! Is that the time already!? Carter, I have to take you back to Ms Grant! I'll see you tonight Barry!",

"Right!" He squeaked. I gave Barry a quick kiss, before my self and Carter bolted to CatCo. Carter already had his fill with ice cream and popcorn and a load of other sweets.

 _Five Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: CatCo Worldwide Media, National City_ / _Kara's POV_ )

Carter and I ran out of the elevator, not before pausing to catch our breath. Why did I run? Oh right! It's because I don't want to be yelled at by Ms Grant, even though I don't work for her. I rather be in Ms Grants' good books than get her claws scratching my back. Carter was panting, I forgot his fitness level wouldn't be exactly on par with mine, but fair play to him, he managed to keep up. Despite the fact, I was the one carrying his school bag. We walked over to his mother's office. Winn wasn't at his desk, he must've went home, same for James and Lucy. I'll see them tonight.

We entered the office, Ms Grant looked up to see myself and Carter. She took off her reading glasses and stood up.

"Carter! How was your day?" She asked, hugging him. I smiled, she is so kind to him. Ms Grant is a completely different person when she's with her son. Not the cold, sarcastic boss running a media empire. She stood up straight and looked at me.

"Thanks for taking care of Carter. He had fun with you.",

"It's fine Ms Grant. I enjoyed my day with Carter. He's a wonderful son and well raised.",

"Hm. Don't worry, you have my full permission to go all commando on him if he's being cheeky." I laughed,

"I'm not like that Ms Gra-",

"Please, no need for formalities Kiera. You can call me Cat and second, you don't work for me.",

"Sure… Cat. You know, I'm sorry Carter, but I have to say this." Carter just nodded, he knew his mother deserves to know what's exactly going on in his school. "Cat, do you know Carter's being bullied in school?",

"I was aware of it but didn't realise it was that bad. Thanks for telling me Kara, I'll talk to the school in the morning.",

"No problem. Deal with it ASAP, because I understand exactly what Carter's going through. I was bullied myself. See you around!" I waved goodbye, as did Cat and Carter. I wonder, if my relationship with Barry goes any further, would he like to have kids? Too far ahead! Take it slow! Unless he makes the move.

 _Night…_

( _Scene: The Wanderer's Bar, National City_ / _Alexandra's POV_ )

I sipped on my glass of whiskey, watching Kara and Barry talking, laughing, enjoying each other's company. I was with Caitlin, Lucy was catching up with her sister Lois Lane. I was surprised to see Clark Kent here, so I quickly joined the dots, realising that my baby sister has forgiven him. She was talking to him for a while until Barry and his gang arrived. I looked over at the other table, Winn and Cisco were going nerd mode again, Iris was talking to James and Clark. I smiled to myself, I'm glad Kara has finally found someone who accepts her for who she is. Barry ticks all the boxes, but I still have to teach him one lesson about Kara. That's why I decided to sing tonight, it saves me having to drag to a private room and use up my breath, giving him a long speech.

This particular song I picked sums it all up, Barry better take notes, because I know Kara told Clark about her boyfriend and he gave him a good look, up and down. Next, Barry got the whole package from Clark, the ' _If You Hurt My Little Cousin_ ' talk. I swear I saw him flinch. Soon enough, the band called my name to come up on stage. I walked up, I'm guessing Kara's jaw has dropped, she knows I can sing, I just haven't done it for a while. I stepped on the stage and spoke into the microphone.

"This is a song I'm directing at my baby sister's significant other. I hope you take notes, because there'll be hell to pay if you hurt her." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Barry gulp, yup, I scared him and Kara was covering her face, obviously mortified. "You all may or may not recognise this song. I'm singing Demi Lovato _Lightweight_." I signalled the band to start. The intro music played and then I opened my mouth and sang.

 _"The slightest words you said_

 _Have all gone to my head_

 _I hear angels sing in your voice_

 _When you pull me close_

 _Feelings I've never known_

 _They mean everything_

 _And leave me no choice_

 _Light on my heart, light on my feet_

 _Light in your eyes I can't even speak_

 _Do you even know how you make me weak."_

This is how my sister felt exactly when she met Barry. Barry helped Kara bring out feelings she hid when she was giving up on falling in love after the many blind dates I set her up on. I saw something in him that all the others just lacked. He made my sister smile, instead of her feeling down and sad after what happened in Syria, he ignited a spark in her heart. I noticed when Kara was with him, she feels lighter on her emotions.

 _"I'm a lightweight_

 _Better be careful what you say_

 _With every word I'm blown away_

 _You're in control of my heart_

 _I'm a lightweight_

 _Easy to fall, easy to break_

 _With every move my whole world shakes_

 _Keep me from falling apart."_

This is the warning Barry better make note. With losing her parents in the Phantom Fire and being the only survivor of a devastating bomb that killed her comrades, Kara was clearly fragile. She was on the verge of breaking and that did happen, just before he waltzed into her life and of course, things couldn't get anymore cheesy, they fell for each other at the National City Police Department. It's true and he knows it, that Barry is in control of Kara's heart. If he hurts her, he breaks her and I will make this cop's death look like an accident and Clark will do the same.

 _"Make a promise, please_

 _You'll always be in reach_

 _Just in case I need_

 _You there when I call_

 _This is all so new_

 _Seems too good to be true_

 _Could this really be_

 _A safe place to fall."_

Kara's boyfriend has to be ready that if she is in trouble and she needs support, he has to be within her reach. This is the first time Kara is having a proper serious relationship and Barry, not only me, has become her safe haven. Even more now as she still has PTSD and it can still be triggered.

 _"Light on my heart, light on my feet_

 _Light in your eyes I can't even speak_

 _Do you even know how you make me weak, oh whoa?_

 _I'm a lightweight_

 _Better be careful what you say_

 _With every word I'm blown away_

 _You're in control of my heart_

 _I'm a lightweight_

 _Easy to fall, easy to break_

 _With every move my whole world shakes_

 _Keep me from falling apart_

 _Keep me from falling down."_

Nothing new, same message. I will check that Barry is taking mental notes of this.

 _"Drowned in your love_

 _It's almost all too much_

 _Handle with care_

 _Say you'll be there_

 _Oh, I'm a lightweight_

 _Better be careful what you say_

 _With every word I'm blown away_

 _You're in control of my heart_

 _I'm a lightweight_

 _Easy to fall, easy to break_

 _With every move my whole world shakes_

 _Keep me from falling apart_

 _Keep me from falling apart_

 _Keep me from falling apart, oh_

 _Falling apart."_

I raised my voice so I can hit that last note. The band finished, soon, everyone began clapping. I'm guessing the crowd understood why I picked this song. I stepped down, walking over to Barry and Kara. Her boyfriend was slightly scared.

"Got the message loud and clear Doctor Danvers." He said quickly. I smirked,

"Good. You're right for Kara anyway. Please, just don't hurt her.",

"I wouldn't dream of it. Kara is the best girl that walked into my life. I love her!",

"I believe you." Kara sighed in relief. That actually felt good, maybe I should start singing again. Perhaps Kara and I will do a duet one day. I think she's going to be staying in National City for a bit longer. Then Kara's name was called out, guess she's signing too.

Kara went up on stage. Without any words, the band started playing a familiar song. I knew what it was; Kara is singing about how she's fighting her PTSD right now and everything else before that. It's just showing how far she has come along and she's a stronger than she ever was before. Quoting _The Legend of Korra Book 1: Air_ ;

 _"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."_ And that's exactly what my little sister went through. The song started. I though Kara wasn't singing tonight, maybe Barry bribed her to make her change her mind. Anyways, Clark and Lois get to see how well the soldier in the family can sing.

 _"Like a small boat_

 _On the ocean_

 _Sending big waves_

 _Into motion_

 _Like how a single word_

 _Can make a heart open_

 _I might only have one match_

 _But I can make an explosion_

 _And all those things I didn't say_

 _Wrecking balls inside my brain_

 _I will scream them loud tonight_

 _Can you hear my voice this time?_

 _This is my fight song_

 _Take back my life song_

 _Prove I'm alright song_

 _My power's turned on_

 _Starting right now I'll be strong_

 _I'll play my fight song_

 _And I don't really care if nobody else believes_

 _'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me_

 _Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep_

 _Everybody's worried about me_

 _In too deep_

 _Say I'm in too deep (in too deep)_

 _And it's been two years_

 _I miss my home_

 _But there's a fire burning in my bones_

 _Still believe_

 _Yeah, I still believe_

 _And all those things I didn't say_

 _Wrecking balls inside my brain_

 _I will scream them loud tonight_

 _Can you hear my voice this time?_

 _This is my fight song_

 _Take back my life song_

 _Prove I'm alright song_

 _My power's turned on_

 _Starting right now I'll be strong_

 _I'll play my fight song_

 _And I don't really care if nobody else believes_

 _'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me_

 _A lot of fight left in me_

 _Like a small boat_

 _On the ocean_

 _Sending big waves_

 _Into motion_

 _Like how a single word_

 _Can make a heart open_

 _I might only have one match_

 _But I can make an explosion_

 _This is my fight song (Hey!)_

 _Take back my life song (Hey!)_

 _Prove I'm alright song (Hey!)_

 _My power's turned on_

 _Starting right now I'll be strong (I'll be strong)_

 _I'll play my fight song_

 _And I don't really care if nobody else believes_

 _'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me_

 _No I've still got a lot of fight left in me."_

The song finished and everyone clapped. Kara nails it again!

( _Kara's POV_ )

I walked off the stage, heading over to my friends. Until a woman stopped me. She was tall, equally tall as my mom and the scary part, she looks like her! That isn't… no! What she doing here in National City!? The woman I was facing had striking grey eyes, brown hair like mom, only difference is, she has a blonde strip running down one strand. She was going to go white, but when I was with her, at ten years old, I told her no and she gave in. She's already in her early fifties now. Alex walked over to me, with a worried expression on her face. Clark approached me also. I clenched my fist.

My family tend to go for unique names. Allura was one, my aunt's name is something unusual but still, unique.

"Kara." She said, her voice hardly changed, the way my name just rolled off her tongue, the harsh ' _Kar_ ' followed the softly spoken ' _a_ '. Tears threatened to fall, the closets link I have to my mother, yet at the same time, I was angry. Where was she all this time!? I wanted to yell and punch her, but I couldn't bring myself to lift a fist. Instead, I said her name. After I though I filled all the cracks in my life, she comes in and makes a new one. A crack that will be harder to fix.

"Aunt Astra!?"

 _Fin_.

* * *

 **Story done and dusted! I'm glad you all enjoyed it! Bye!**


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